


The Way You Look at Me

by SheIsReckless



Category: Chlodine - Fandom, Uncharted
Genre: Chlodine - Freeform, Eventual Smut, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Slow Build, Soulmates, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, if you're here for a sex scene it's chapter 9, its gonna take awhile until they express their feelings so i buckle up kiddos, mildly explicit language usually used during sex scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2020-03-20 11:47:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 51,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18992035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheIsReckless/pseuds/SheIsReckless
Summary: Chloe tags along with Nadine to South Africa and helps her shut down Shoreline for good. Meanwhile, they are both trying to decipher their feelings for each other without expressing it. But miscommunication can go a long way and turns into a recipe for disaster.





	1. The Ministry of Culture

 

"Hey, how much ya think they'd give us for that?" Sam asked... for the tenth time.

Chloe sat in the passenger seat observing the tusk they had went through hell to retrieve. She traced the engravings and tried to decipher the letters written on the side of it. She wished so bad that her father was there with her to see it but maybe, he'd be proud of her for finishing what he started. Emotions started to run through her but she had to suck it up and focus on getting to the Ministry of Culture. After that, she wasn't sure what she'd do next. In a way she was hoping another job would come up soon but in the meantime, there was nothing else on her mind.

Sam was in the back on his phone, minding his own business, and possibly telling Nate all about what had happened. She shrugged at the thought because she no longer cared. Nate was no longer in the picture and she liked it that way. She then looked over to Nadine who was driving and in her own world. It was the first time Nadine drove since they were in India. It was a nice sight seeing the familiar muscle of one arm flex with every turn. With every glance over to Nadine, she found herself forgetting to breathe. Just like discovering Halebidu and Belur; she was speechless, but it was better witnessing the reactions of Nadine on her first ever hunt. Now that she was able to sit back and relax in the passenger seat, she had time to think. She felt strange that partnering up with another female felt natural. She was so used to working with men like the Drakes, Harry Flynn, and Charlie Cutter, but it was nice for a change; Chloe was glad that Nadine wanted to work with her again.

The rest of the ride was quiet and there weren't any problems to run into. Chloe had fallen asleep, her head rested on the back of her forearm leaning against the door. Sam was knocked out as well and Nadine cherished every moment of not hearing him ask about the price of tusk. As they pulled up, Nadine made a hard stop into one of the parking spaces hoping it would jolt the sleeping two up, but it didn't. A smirk grew upon her face as she watched the Indian-Australian gal sleep. She then walked over to the passenger side and leaned down to Chloe where they would've been at eye level. "Frazer?" She poked at her gently. After a few attempts of trying to wake her up nicely, she stood up to yell her name and it caused Chloe to wake out of her sleep and pull out her gun. Nadine stood, brows scrunched at her instincts.

"Had a good nap?"

"Um, yeah." Chloe had rubbed her eyes a little too hard to where everything around her seemed blurry; her head jerked back as she tried to focus her vision. When she got a clear sight, she looked around and saw a giant building with a lion and tiger statue at the sides of the stairway entrance and an engraved block of marble saying 'Ministry of Culture.'

"Are we here already?"

"Ja." Nadine found herself opening the door for Chloe and helping her get out. "Trips seem shorter when you have time to sleep, eh?"

"I offered to drive, you know."

"Eh, I figured I'd give the lead driver a break."

Chloe smiled in thanks and made her way inside the building with the tusk. Nadine and Sam followed behind. The Ministry of Culture was a huge building: long entrances, huge doorways. As soon as they walked in, there were hundreds of different artifacts and ancient treasure from different time periods. Most of India's long lost history was placed in this building for display and protection. And to think Chloe would take the tusk and sell it for a good price? She definitely would, but she thought it would be nice to donate it; to do something that made her feel good for a change. This was her country after all. Although, she lived in Australia all her life with her mom, this was her dad's home. She couldn't walk away.

An artifact about the Hoysala Empire stood right in front of her and she couldn't help smile at the fact that she knew the truth about their Kings and how they actually tried to protect their people, not just the tusk. She held onto the treasure with the tightest grip as she walked away from the reading and tried to find the people that worked there. But she didn't feel the presence of Nadine behind her so when she turned around, she was right. It was just Sam that followed her. He waved but she was too busy looking around to find Nadine, and there she was, standing in front of a giant mural. She walked over and stood next to the woman, her eyes not moving away from Nadine's face. 

"Didn't think you'd be into this kinda stuff but I guess I was wrong."

"Sorry, I saw this and got sidetracked. It's beautiful." Chloe finally looked over to see the mural itself. It was Halebidu before the destruction of the city. Chloe was fascinated at it too. Of course it wasn't as good as seeing it in person centuries after the events, but it was lovely seeing Nadine admire it.

"It is, darling," she agreed. "Better in person though." Their focus was interrupted by Sam who stood right in front of the two. Nadine gave him the death glare for intruding her view so instead, Sam shimmied over to stand in front of Chloe.

"Look," he turned her around towards the direction they were originally going. "He seems like he works here. Maybe we could talk to him?" Chloe searched for the person Sam was aiming at until she found him. He wore a white dress shirt and a blue vest with a gold name tag that shined from afar.

Chloe turned her head back to them. "I'm going to talk to him myself, you two stay put."

"Wait, are you sure?" Nadine asked almost touching Chloe's arm. She tried not to notice where her hand was but Chloe sort of wished she touched her.

"I'll be fine, love." Before she walked away, she winked back at Nadine. "Don't miss me too much." Nadine watched Chloe walk away trying to contain herself by biting her lip and looking away. Chloe winking at her sent chills down her spine. She glanced at Sam who stood there confused at what just happened. He had suspicions of those two since Asav caught them. Like all the times they exchanged looks and how they tried to hide their emotions from each other when Chloe decided to go after the train. He decided to shrug it off knowing if he asked Nadine, she'd probably kill him.

It had been about a half hour since Chloe left them two to bother each other. Nadine walked around the place and took sight in almost all of the artifacts in the hallway while Sam discreetly followed her, making sure he was at least five feet from her. It wasn't until they accidentally bumped into each other that Nadine's suspicions were correct.

"You have abandonment issues, Drake?"

Sam backed up a few feet, "What? No."

"Really because ever since Chloe left, you've been following me like a lost dog."

"I, uh... was just checking things out, same as you."

"Uh huh, well next time make it less obvious when you're looking at my ass."

Sam was taken aback. It took him a second to gather what she said and when he did, he took the opportunity to mess with her. "Wait, no no no. I'm not checking you out Nadine. Clearly, I can't compete with Chloe." He winked.

"What?" She had that deadly look in her eyes that scared Sam to pieces.

"You and Chloe, er... you know, I feel you guys have a thing for each other."

"Are you trying to die, Drake?" She eyed him coldly.

He held his arms up as surrender. "I'm just saying Nadine. I notice the glances between you two. It was like third wheeling on a treasure hunting honeymoon."

Nadine's heart pumped faster the more Sam talked but she kept her cool. She wanted to be angry at him but she couldn't. Not when he mentioned  _that,_  but she denied every word he said to avoid that rumor. Obviously, she was just a friend to Chloe and Chloe was the same to her. But she ached knowing the hunt for the tusk was over and it meant going back home until they reunited for another adventure and for some reason, she didn't want it to be over. They had only met a few days ago but Nadine didn't want Chloe to leave because she had just gotten used to being around her, and she liked it.

But she wasn't back yet and Nadine wondered what was taking her so long. She decided to go wait outside by the car because she had already looked at everything inside. Sam followed her and that didn't bother Nadine this time. She expected that.

"So when will you two hit it off? By next hunt?"

"And I ask again, are you trying to die, Drake?"

He went to lean against the car and pulled out a cigarette to light. "You know, it seems that I can't actually. Of all the bullets I've dodged and the Panamanian jail I tried to escape from, you trying to kill me... I'm surprised I'm alive."

"Since I'm right here, I can end the last of those nine lives." 

Sam scooted away from her just by a few inches. He may have torn open the soft side of Nadine but she was still a brick wall.

"I mean..." he chuckles, "I wouldn't want to miss a Chlodine wedding."

"A what?!" Nadine was ready to end him.

"You heard what I said."

She curled her fingers into a fist and held it up slightly, waiting for Sam to say something so she can finally hit him. "Say one more word, Sam Drake." He hesitated for a few seconds, debating if he wanted the final blow or not.

"Chlodine." Nadine struck a hit at him but at his arm, not his face surprisingly. "Ow! Shit, that hurt... Can you tone it down a little?"

"Pfft, pussy."

"Oh I'm sure that's what you'll be getting once we get to a hotel roo--"

"Hey!" They both turned their heads to see Chloe walking down the steps of the building. Nadine was in mid punching stance again and Sam had his face blocked by his hands. They were stopped in their tracks. "My god, I can't leave you two alone for a little bit, can I?"

They stood upright to fix themselves as if nothing had happened but they both were focusing on Chloe as she walked up. She headed over to the driver's seat with a smug look on her face. Nadine and Sam followed her into the car; Sam in the back and Nadine making her designated spot next to Chloe.

"So how much we get?" He asked, leaning over the front seats. Chloe turned her head to Sam.

"Sam, you realize we donated it, right? You don't get paid for donating." Chloe said.

"Wait, what?" Sam's face was shot. It went from a curious kid on Christmas Day to a kid whose parents' said they ate their candy on Halloween. He was still in disbelief until a continuous nod from Chloe confirmed that she was telling the truth. "So... we went through all that to just give away a priceless artifact?"

"Keyword, priceless," Nadine joined in.

"Oh my god..." He sat back, disappointed had he not been informed.

"I'm just kidding Sam. Here." She tossed him an envelope with a big smirk on her face. Sam went on to open the envelope for it to reveal a check as the car started to drive off.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." He was still observing every inch of it assuming it was his cut. "Hm, I didn't think it'd be this much per person. How'd you do it?"

"I have my ways." Nadine gave Chloe a questionable look, wondering what her ways were. Talking out of her ass was probably one of her ways especially when she was going to sell Nadine out in the beginning.

"Now how about we go reward our hard work with a fancy meal, eh? Whaddaya say?"

Chloe gave it a thought and then an imaginary light bulb lit up in her head. "I know just the place." She immediately changed direction to what seemed like a familiar market down the road. She remembered her promise.

"Pizza?" Sam said, unamused.

Chloe had taken them back to the market where she met Meenu and ordered a large cheese pizza. Chloe wasn't much of a picky eater so her definition of gourmet was pretty widespread, but she thought it'd be a good idea since she promised Meenu a pizza. Sam, on the other hand, was disappointed. He expected to be taken to India's best restaurants. Eventually, he got over it. Chloe, Meenu, and Nadine sat on a bench eating their slice while listening to "Borders" by M.I.A on a radio that Meenu had in her house. Sam was too busy thinking about what was next for him. He talked about joining Chloe and Nadine on treasure hunts and bringing them to a private collector instead, for more money, as if half a million in American currency wasn't enough. Unlike Nate who had kept all of his findings, despite not going back home with the treasure he sought to find. But donating was a nice thing to do. So Sam explained it to the girls and tried to get them to hear him out until Meenu stopped him by giving him a slice of pizza. They just wanted to eat but Sam couldn't help it. He thought it had been a great idea but oh well, maybe next time.

A couple of hours went by since their well earned meal. Meenu had set up an area for Chloe and Nadine to sleep in her room. She would sleep in her father's room and Sam on the couch in the living room. Meenu's house was nicely decorated and cozy. Although she lived in the middle of a war zone, she still managed to make it "homey". Her father hadn't returned yet from the fighting, so she continued to run the shop. She was only nine years old but none of the older men messed with her; mainly because she was capable of talking the ears off many. Chloe had felt bad and for some reason, she found herself feeling the need to always be there for her. Though they had just met a few days ago, sometimes two people connect in the strangest ways. Like her and Nadine for example. Given their friendship a deep thought, she realized how open she became and wondered why; especially to a business partner. She wasn't that close with Nate either and honestly, Nadine was the only one she had ever revealed anything about her father to. After the events with Nate and Elena in Tibet, she excluded herself from everyone; practically on her own and doing her own jobs. The last job she did was with Sam and this time, of course, with Nadine's help. Chloe found it strange how eased Nadine made her feel when it came to personal things and eventually, she found herself trusting her. Possibly with her life, and she liked that feeling. Now she realized she didn't want to part ways with Nadine just yet. She wanted to know more from the mysterious South African woman.

After Sam and Meenu had fallen asleep in their designated rooms, Chloe walked into hers and expected Nadine to be in there so she could talk to her. Much to Chloe's anticipation, she wasn't. She gave it a thought to where she could be so she headed back out to the empty market and saw the muscled figure that was her work partner, leaned against a barrel. She had her head up and arms crossed, looking at the stars in the night sky. Chloe joined her, leaning against a pile of crates beside her. It was the most peaceful night they had in awhile and Nadine cherished it as much as she could. Chloe turned her head to admire her partner's stare at the stars until she realized Nadine noticed she was staring. So she quickly lifted her head back up to the sky before her eyes contacted with Nadine's.

"What's on your mind, China?" Chloe asked, ignoring the slight embarrassment.

"Nothing." Nadine took a big sigh. "I'm enjoying the peace and quiet."

"Well if that's the case, I'll leave you to the stars." Chloe pushed herself up to walk towards the house until she felt Nadine's hand on her wrist, her fingers touching the back of Chloe's hand so gently. To Chloe, it sent shivers down her back.

"Stay." Their eyes met and Chloe noticed the corner of Nadine's lip curve into a warm smile;  _an adorable smile_ , Chloe thought. There was just so much she wanted to know about her. So she decided to stay and maybe, just maybe, she'd get some more out of her.

"Sure thing." Chloe proceeded to play twenty one questions with Nadine. "So... since we're going to be partners in this treasure hunting business, I'm going to need to know more about the infamous Nadine Ross who beat up the Drake brothers in hand to hand combat."

Nadine chuckled reminiscing those events from awhile back. "You really want to know?" Chloe had her head held by her fists and her elbows on the crates. She was nodding and Nadine couldn't help but laugh at how Chloe looked like a curious child. "Well, it wasn't all that exciting... for them. And for Nathan Drake, we bumped into each other in a room I was heading into... long story short, I took off my heels then beat the hell outta him."

"You didn't take off your shoes before punching me. I say I'm pretty jealous." She had imagined the whole scene as Nadine described it. She was fond of how well Nadine fought. Even when Asav kicked their asses, she was really good and held him off while Chloe was being thrown off the train. But of course, she was a trained fighter and skilled martial artists. Especially if she had ran her own army.  _A badass woman who ran an entire army_ , Chloe thought. It was pretty sexy to her. She kind of wished Nadine continued to get Shoreline back so she could see Nadine at work and be the badass her reputation made her out to be.

Nadine stood upright and headed to the direction of the house. Chloe followed.

"Did you want me to throw you out a window too?"

"Nah, wouldn't want to steal Nate's spotlight."

When they entered into the bedroom, they found themselves in a dilemma. Meenu's room only had a twin size bed and there was no way those two could fit on there. "Well," Nadine paused for a second to think, "you can sleep on the bed, I can sleep on the floor." She grabbed a well folded blanket that Meenu had left at the edge of the bed and spread it out on the floor right next to it. Out of all the space that was in the bedroom, Nadine noticed where she put the blanket, but she wasn't going to change her mind.

"Nadine you can have the bed," Chloe protested. "Or maybe I'll sleep on the floor next to you. Just like we're having a girls sleepover so it's fair." She had grabbed the other blanket that covered Meenu's bed to put on the floor but Nadine stepped in her path.

"Chloe." That stopped her. She liked hearing Nadine say her name. "You sleep on the bed. You've fallen probably a hundred more times than I have. Your back needs rest."

As much as Chloe hated the feeling of being taken care of, she appreciated Nadine offering to sleep on the floor. Though she really wanted to sleep on the floor with her because she felt bad, she decided it'd be best to be on the bed. She proceeded to lay down. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she let out a soft moan as her back adjusted to the softness of the mattress. Nadine's ears perked up when she heard Chloe's satisfaction.

"Good?" Nadine asked.

"Oh just fabulous," Chloe responded, her words already slurred. Her eyes couldn't open anymore. The comfort of the mattress and the softness of the pillow was all it took to knock Chloe out. Nadine was still sitting up, propped on her elbows, as she watched the woman fall into a deep sleep. She poked her shoulder gently and Chloe didn't wake or move. Just like the car ride, Chloe didn't wake easily. She must've been a heavy sleeper but then again they haven't slept in days. 

Nadine smiled at sleeping Chloe before laying herself down on the uncomfortable hardwood floor. It was nothing to Nadine because being in the military, she was trained to be prepared for anything. She laid there in her thoughts until it took the best of her and made her sleepy. She turned to her side, back facing the bed, and drifted off to sleep with a pain in her gut about a possible farewell with Chloe until next adventure. 

 


	2. To Cape Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is such a short chapter! I just didn't want to combine the next one with this. It would've been too long haha

"How did you get it back?"

Chloe woke to the sound of Meenu's voice. She jerked up from the bed, excited to greet the woman below her on the floor but she wasn't there. She then heard three different laughs coming from outside of the bedroom so she got up and went to find the sources. Nadine, Meenu, and Sam were in the living room. Nadine was laying across the floor on her side, propped on her elbow as she was shuffling a deck of uno cards and Meenu sat crisscrossed across from her waiting for Nadine to deal them. Sam was on the couch, playing on his phone, not paying attention to what the girls were doing but she assumed he laughed because of the constant sounds of defeat from Nadine. Instead of joining them, Chloe stood back and leaned against the hallway wall and watched them play. She guessed that Nadine was telling a story about their adventure.

"Well Chloe had the most insane idea of hooking her rope to the helicopter because Orca was going to escape with it. So we climbed on board and fought him. Then it crashed. Luckily we jumped out."

"And then?" Meenu was just as curious as Chloe was last night when she asked about how Nadine fought off Nate.

"I killed him."

"Wow, really?!" Meenu exclaimed.

"Ja." Nadine started to deal the cards after shuffling the deck ten times. "Never trust an enemy who surrenders too easily. They  _always_  have a backup." Chloe took note of that.

"I want to learn how to shoot a gun."

Nadine laughed, "That can be for when you're older. Be a kid first."

Chloe went to sit on the couch by Sam and watched in amusement as the girls played. The game went on for quite awhile for them, but they played multiple rounds. It wasn't until this round that it got really competitive. Meenu already won five times and Nadine was just one win away from them being tied. Nadine thought she had the upper hand when she laid down a bunch of skips and reverses until she had the last card, but Meenu hid her grin behind her last card. Nadine looked at her suspiciously until Meenu slowly let down one of the two cards and it revealed the draw four card.

"Ag man!" Nadine threw herself back and sprawled all over the floor while Meenu had herself a good laugh; Chloe found herself laughing too. It was entertaining watching Nadine get beat by Meenu six times in the last hour but it was also lovely to see her around kids. It made her feel warm inside but also sort of sick in the stomach because... what if Chloe didn't switch the train tracks on time? How would they have been able to stop the bomb from detonating when it reached the city? She was new to the new hero thing so those thoughts lingered in her mind as if she needed to know if she had done good. Old Chloe would have never.

"Chloe, want to play?" Meenu asked, snapping her out of her deep thoughts.

"No I'm okay, darling," she responded. "Although, I myself would love to have a chance to beat Nadine, I must pack my things and head home." As she got up to go back into the bedroom, she heard the sound of Meenu's disappointment behind her, fade. A part of her felt bad because she found herself grown attached to Meenu even if it was only small encounters. So she hoped that her father would return soon. No child deserved to lose a parent as Chloe knew all too well.

She felt the bedroom door close behind her as she made Meenu's bed and placed the two pillows neatly against the headboard. "Home, huh?" Nadine broke silence.

"Our job is done," Chloe pointed out, "and I could really use a nice bath."

Nadine felt something was off with her. She didn't make any eye contact. She looked down most of the time as she grabbed her things. "Hey, you alright?"

"I'm doing just fine, love. No need to worry." She then heard footsteps and a hand grab her shoulder to turn her around. She faced Nadine who had a concerned look on her face. They were practically a foot away from each other.

"Frazer, I've seen you upset. You can't fool me."

She let out a frustrated sigh and sat on the bed. "I can't stop thinking about my dad. He was there Nadine. He was so close to getting the tusk. I wonder if he actually got to it then turned back." Nadine went to sit next to her, their thighs brushed against each other. "And I spent my years growing up wondering where that bloody Ganesh thing came from." Chloe had her head turned the other way so Nadine couldn't see the tears that formed in the corner of her eyes. The other woman decided to close the gap between them and pull her in for a comfortable embrace. As much as Chloe resisted it, she let her in and lay her head on Nadine's shoulder. But she did not dare cry.

It was a nice moment between the two women. Nadine didn't care whether her nerves were acting up or not, she wanted to comfort her. She couldn't imagine what it was like being forced to a different country by her father and then never seeing him again. Thankfully, Nadine's parents were still around. Her father was well retired and travelling around the world. Her mother well... she was off doing her own thing. A different story.

The silence became too much to for Chloe to bear. It was nice but she felt the sudden need to suck it up and move on. "Alright China, thanks for the comforting words," she said as straightened herself up. She heard Nadine giggle a bit and found it cute because she didn't think Nadine would get the humor in that sentence. "So, where is Nadine Ross headed now?"

"South Africa," Nadine replied. "There are some things I need to take care of."

"Shoreline? I thought you were done with them."

"I am but I still have ownership. All the papers have my name on it."

"Are you gonna hand it over to someone? Shut it down?"

"Well, considering all those bastards turned on me, I think I'll pay them a visit first." Chloe paused for a second until a grin grew upon her face. She was interested in this.

"What do you plan on doing?"

"Not sure. I'll improvise," Nadine smirked. Chloe's eyes grew big.

"Nadine Ross improvising?" Chloe dramatically placed a hand over her chest. "These are definitely dangerous times. Shoreline better watch their six."

"That's what happens when you cross me." Nadine unloaded the bullets from her pistol and took apart the gun to place it in it's signature hold in her gun case. Chloe watched in amazement.

"And your entire army did that..." she thought. "I think I want front row seats."

"I'll send you some recordings." Nadine grabbed her bag and headed out to the market with Chloe following her. They walked outside towards Meenu who was selling a cute red hat.

"I'm being serious, love." Nadine stopped in her tracks and turned to her with a raised eyebrow. She was confused. "I mean if things get serious, you're going to need back up, right? I'm pretty good with a gun, as you can tell." Nadine knew Chloe was getting cocky.

"Even though I was the one who shot Orca and we both fought Asav with our hands."

"You love to ruin the moment, don't you?"

"Just yours." Nadine winked.

"The day was bright and early. The market was full of merchants who were setting up their stands while military guards kept watch up above. Everything was calmed down ever since Asav died with the train. Even though war wasn't over in India, at least they weren't in a midst of another if that train made it to the city.

They met up with Sam who was pacing by the truck they left on the side of the street. He was on the phone with someone and it must've been an informative conversation since all he kept responding with was 'yes' and 'okay'. Nadine threw her bag into the back of the truck, next to Sam's things. Chloe was putting her things in the back as well when Meenu came up behind her and tugged on her shirt.

"Will you come back to visit me?" She had the cutest look on her face that Chloe couldn't bare to look at. It was such a bittersweet moment. Given enough thought, Chloe kneeled down to be at eye level with her.

"Tell you what, I'll give you my number and if there ever comes a time where you absolutely need me, call me, and I will be here as soon as I can," she told, emphasizing the word  _ever_. "Okay?"

Meenu nodded in response and gave Chloe the biggest hug. She found it a sudden surprise but gave in and hugged the little girl back tightly. Chloe was never really fond of children and didn't have any of her own either but she felt so attached to Meenu, that it was sort of difficult for her to leave. It broke her heart and Chloe Frazer did not have her heart broken. The last time she felt like that was when she realized Nate was in love with Elena, so she accepted it and walked away. Ever since then, she'd been off doing her own thing; going on adventures by herself or with Sam, or finding other hobbies like yoga and going to local cafes in London.

"Alright, looks like I'm all good to go back to the states," Sam stated. "You ladies ready?" Sam gets a nod from Chloe and nothing from Nadine. She was leaning against the rear end of the truck, focusing on Chloe and Meenu so much that she didn't hear a word Sam said. He then went over to Meenu, tossed her a Hoysala coin he found in Halebidu and ruffled her hair a bit as his farewell. Nadine realized it was her turn to say goodbye to the girl and so she gave her a soft hug and told her that the next time they meet, she'd beat her at Uno. She got a giggle out of her.

"I must get back to the shop now," Meenu said. "Bye!" As she skipped back into the crowd, she gave one last smile and wave to Chloe and Nadine who was returning the gesture. Chloe felt a wave of sadness come through her but she tried her best to ignore it because Nadine would've noticed and asked her nonstop until she poured out her feelings.

Because well... Nadine will get her answers one way or another.

"Question," Chloe said, breaking the silence. She turned to face Nadine as the other woman did the same, only to be a few inches apart. "How keen are you on letting me crash with you at your place?"

"Hmm, on a scale of monkeys to giraffes, I'd say monkey."

"Bullshit, you just love monkeys."

"Kidding, but I do appreciate you tagging along. Good to know someone has my back."

"Of course, love." They headed to the front of the truck and sat in their usual spots with Chloe driving, again. "Anything for my new partner."

"To Cape Town then?"

"It's a date."

Chloe gave her one last wink before she shifted gears and drove away. As they drove to the airport, Chloe couldn't help but wonder why she kept thinking about Nadine. It confused her on why she acted so  _normal_  towards the other woman. She always kept her guard up no matter what, making sure her enemies or allies couldn't use anything against her, but there was something about Nadine that made her feel that she could be herself. With Nate and all of her previous lovers/partners, she made sure to keep a wall up to protect herself, but opening up so quickly to Nadine was something she's never done. And she enjoyed this new side of herself.

 


	3. Undeniable Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate writing build up lol. The past two chapters were eh to me but I enjoyed writing this chapter and the next two after.  
> This one is set in Nadine's perspective (mostly). Enjoy!

Nadine wasn't prepared for a ten hour plane ride to Cape Town International Airport. Sitting on a plane for ten hours wasn't her choice of travel but she didn't want to be stuck in a weeks long road trip from India all the way to South Africa. But Chloe was pretty comfortable. Who knew she kept a neck pillow in her pack? But being in the top five of key hunters and thieves, it didn't hurt to bring an applicant of self care. When Chloe first started, it was always her usual gear: a combat knife, a small flashlight, the sides and back holsters, her signature .45 defender, and a few magazines in a tiny satchel. Now she found herself bringing travel packed lotion, a blanket, and now, a neck pillow.

For the first two hours or so, Nadine kept quiet because she couldn't process the "date" Chloe had mentioned right before taking off to the airport. Was Chloe interested or was she poking fun at messing with people's heads? She was so frustrated at trying to figure out what was going on in the Aussie's head that she sort of wished Sam was there so she didn't feel as awkward. She still couldn't stand him but his inability to shut up would've made it less weird. At least for Nadine. When they dropped him off at the airport so he could head to the States, they shook hands but Nadine was the one who voluntarily held out her hand as a thanks for not screwing them over. It was a surprise gesture for both Sam and Nadine.

But she couldn't stop thinking about Chloe even when she was right next to her. It was strange how their friendship blossomed within a day or two. Things were rocky at first between the two clashing personalities but somehow they found themselves going out of their way to save each other's asses. But the way she felt about those things, maybe the reasons weren't strictly business. What was the real reason Nadine didn't want Chloe going after the train?

It confused the hell out of her.

But Nadine was capable of separating her personal life from her work. Partnering with Rafe was strictly professional but it didn't hurt to fool him with Nadine's hidden sexual spirit. Asav, on the other hand; it was sort of a romantic relationship. She did admire his ambition and was always determined to get what he wanted, until she realized he was a psychopath. But with Chloe, she felt like she could be herself. She also loved the fact that her partner trusted her.

Besides relations and things, Nadine was more focused on her work: getting paid to do the dangerous parts of jobs, and just running her father's establishment. She had no time for relationships or anything involving her personal life up until when her own men turned on her back in Libertalia. She laid low ever since and took some time to do normal things she couldn't do like go to a zoo, or a beach, or even spend time in her temporary flat in London when she wasn't tracking Shoreline's motives.

"Nervous?" Nadine jumped a bit at the sound of Chloe's voice coming from out of the blue but she was zoned out for a very long time.

"No, why?"

"You're fidgeting, love." Nadine looked down at her fingers then immediately stopped. Chloe placed a hand on Nadine's and looked her in the eye, stopping her heartbeat. It wasn't until after a few moments of silence when Chloe spoke again. "You know I have your back, right?"

"Ja," Nadine replied, looking away from Chloe's gaze. If she wasn't nervous about anything before, she definitely was now. She couldn't look into those grey eyes. Every time she did, it was like her heart grew bigger and warmer. Chloe then gave her a kid-like grin then proceeded to look out the window into the clouds.

But her hand was still on Nadine's.

Her heartbeat pumped faster and faster with the feeling of Chloe's hands on her. She wasn't sure why it was driving her crazy now. Maybe because Nadine finally had time to sit and think about everything that happened in their two day adventure. All the glances, the constant worrying one of them would slip a hand climbing, their fight... but Nadine's thoughts were interrupted again by a  _ding_   through the speaker before a flight attendant spoke. They informed the passengers to remain seated as they would hit some turbulence. Chloe then wrapped her fingers around Nadine's hand once the plane started to shake a little violently than usual. They never held hands like that and she began to think Chloe was up to something but maybe it was actually genuine? Like Chloe was afraid? There was still so much to know about her, it drove Nadine insanely excited.

———

The plane was calm again. No turbulence, no distractions. The rest of the ride went smoothly, just like Chloe and Nadine's conversations. Majority of the time, Chloe told stories about her adventures after Tibet, Sri Lanka, etc and it made Nadine so intrigued that she felt herself wanting to listen to her talk more and more. Then Nadine went ahead and talked about her side of the story when she partnered with Rafe and gave full detail of how she managed to kick Nate and Sam's asses. Chloe realized how normal Nadine was with her, like they had become best friends. Or that was what she felt like, but she wasn't sure. Chloe never had a best friend. She was also never intimidated by anyone, but hearing Sam's stories about her, she wanted to know who she was. Sam may have exaggerated on Nadine's "intimidating" presence but that was probably because he was afraid of her. She remembered the look on his face when Nadine spoke to him the very first time since Libertalia. It was like he pissed his pants. So maybe that was the reason she contacted Nadine in the first place. Not only she had ties with Asav, she scared a Drake; two Drakes, at that.

It was only twenty minutes until they were going to descend into Cape Town International. Once they reached down below the clouds, Chloe found herself staring out of the window, looking at the cityscape. She had never been to South Africa but she sure was excited because this was her partner's home. Nadine was watching her admire what was down below them as the plane took a right turn. It had been a few hours since they last talked, and Nadine spent that time overthinking while Chloe slept for about four hours straight. She didn't know the Aussie woman could even sleep that long. Sleeping on a plane wasn't comfortable for her so she occupied herself by listening to music on her phone and reading a book she kept in her bag. When Chloe finally woke up, Nadine immediately took the earbuds out of her and put her things away just in case Chloe wanted to say something.

While the Aussie was too busy watching out the window, Nadine decided she should speak first.

"Hey Frazer."

Chloe turned to look at her. Their eyes connected for longer than five seconds this time and it sent Nadine to the edge. She almost stumbled to get words out. Something about those grey eyes... it made Nadine's heart flutter. "Thanks for uh... coming along. I know you didn't have to." She was surprised she made it out with a full sentence.

Chloe shifted in her seat so that they were inches away from each other. "I want to."

They were so close to each other than ever before. It was like Chloe did it on purpose and Nadine tried her hardest not to use her instincts and lean in. Now, there were butterflies swimming all over her body. She was never this nervous about anything before in her life.

Their moment cut off by the sudden bounce of the plane when it's wheels touched the ground. They both went back to their normal positions and waited for the plane to reach the gate. Nadine hated the sudden interruption but in a way, she was glad because she wasn't sure what would've happened next.

Would they have kissed? Nadine shook the thought out of her mind. Chloe was her partner. Not her  _partner_  partner.

Another twenty minutes passed and the two women finally made it out of the plane. The airport was big and Chloe followed Nadine like a lost puppy because she wasn't sure where to go and didn't want to get lost without her. When they made their way out of the terminal, Nadine took out her phone to call for an uber.

"Nadine!" A strange voice called out of the crowd.

Nadine looked in the direction of the voice and saw a familiar face. She had long dreadlocks down to her breast and wore leggings, a white shirt, and a grey flowery kimono. Nadine's face was shot, well because... it was mama Ross. She walked away from the vehicle she stood next to to hug Nadine. She squeezed her daughter so tight that it made her squirm. Chloe was awfully confused because she did not know who the woman was but when she got a good look at her, she realized it was Nadine's mother. Now she knew which parent she resembled.

"Mother..." Nadine said, unamused at the strange encounter while returning the hug. "How'd you know I was here?" She turned their bodies so she could get a look at Chloe who stood awkwardly behind them.

"Your broer, honey," her mother responded. Nadine was confused.

"Isn't he in the states?"

"He was but he's here for a few weeks. Visiting me. Something my daughter never did. Then you stayed in London and never came back." It was unbelievable. Nadine was being scolded once again for not keeping in contact with her mother.

"Did it ever occur to you that I've been trying to get my company back? The reason I stayed in London was because I had to avoid Shoreline putting a bounty on my head." Which was and wasn't true at the same time. It was really to avoid her father. She thought if she did it on her own, from afar, she'd be able to get it back without having to deal with her father's wrath.

"Was it? I swore I thought you stayed in London because of that woman..."

Nadine's eyes grew big. She had forgotten all about her; the woman with glasses and beautiful brown eyes that turned golden in the sunlight.

"Ma... seriously? So what if I stayed longer for her? I needed something to distract me from life. I'm 35 years old, I nee--"

"Eish, relax. I'm kidding," her mother interrupted. "My god, I can see the grey hairs forming already."

Chloe tried to hide her laugh by covering her mouth but it caught the older woman's attention. So she observed Chloe from head to toe, noting her appearance and body posture. She was surprised by the woman's figure and went on to assume it was the girl. "Oh, is this her?"

Before Nadine had any chance to speak, Chloe beat her to it.

"Chloe Frazer, pleasure to meet you." She introduced herself as she held out her hand. The mother returned the gesture and gave Nadine a playful look.

"Wow... shame Nadine keeps her personal life hidden from her family. Such beauty shouldn't be kept in close quarters."

She heard her daughter choke on the water she was drinking. Chloe was all too flattered to deny her mother's assumptions; Nadine on the other hand was coughing and wishing her mother would just stop talking.

When she got herself together, she replied, "Mum, that's my business partner."

"Oh! How lovely to bring work home. Are you hungry? Is Nadine feeding you? I'm sure you're starving from such a long flight."

"Mother, are we going to stand here all day or can we continue the conversation in the car?" Nadine interrupted before Chloe could answer. She then went towards her mother's car, leaving those two alone.

"See how uptight she is? How do you deal with her," her mother joked. Chloe couldn't help but smile at the playful personality her mother introduced.

Nadine's mother lead Chloe to the car that was parked by the curb and Nadine who was still standing at the back, put Chloe's bag inside without hesitation; something Chloe appreciated. During the car ride, her mother nagged Nadine about her appearance and Nadine was already over it. She wanted her dressing more ladylike and choosing a less dangerous profession so she wouldn't have so many cuts and bruises. All she heard from Nadine was  _no_  and  _no,_  but it was truly entertaining for Chloe to see their personalities clash. Not as good as her and Sam bickering back and forth though.

They pulled up into what looked like a millionaire's house. It had rust colored siding, gigantic windows that went from the ceiling to the floor, and water features along the entrance. The roof was slanted and it reminded her of an all too modernize home that stood on a cliff and looked out into Cape Town's nightlife. Nadine went ahead and unlocked the front door so the other two women could go in. Her mother went straight into the kitchen with bags of groceries and all Chloe heard was the sound of pots and pans being taken out. She guessed that she was stirring something up.

"Come on, I'll show you to the room," Nadine said, gesturing towards the hallway to their left. Chloe followed her into a navy blue room with a double bed, a desk, and a giant walk in closet. There was also a sliding door that led out to the balcony that looked over the backyard. Chloe was amazed at the design of this house; it was cozy and there was actual carpet in the bedroom. Something Chloe hadn't felt in a long time.

Noticing the queen size bed, Chloe hopped onto it and took in the softness of the mattress. She was in love.

"Oh my... tell your parents they have great taste in bedding," Chloe said while laying her body down to feel the softness of the sheets against her roughed up skin. Nadine chuckled at her and went to throw her bag in the walk in closet.

"Actually, Frazer, this is my house." Nadine smiled at the woman making snow angels and rolling around on her sheets. It was adorable--until she stopped.

"This isn't your parent's house?"

"No, they live in Saldanha. What, did you not expect me to live so  _luxuriously_?"

"Well, yeah..." Chloe admitted. "I took you for an apartment/condo kinda gal. Not so much of this style home with lavish decor."

"Eh, my mother did most of the wall decor. She does paintings and wants somewhere to show off her work so I let her display it here. Everything else, is all me."

Chloe adored Nadine even more knowing all the canvases hung on the walls were her mother's paintings. She thought it as the sweetest thing she's ever seen.

"I can imagine what your room looks like then."

"You're sitting in it, Frazer. Also, I'm letting you stay in here."

Chloe took a second to look around the room again. There weren't any abstract paintings or colorful decor like the rest of the house. It was a normal bedroom. And she was shocked that Nadine brought her to her room instead of a guest room. She wasn't sure if she wanted to respond in an appreciative manner or make jokes. She decided to make jokes. "Well I'll say Ross, if you wanted me in your bed so badly, I guess this is a way to do it. I'm flattered." Her partner rolled her eyes.

"Ja, nice try," Nadine left the room for a second and came back with a pillow and blanket. "I'd let you take the guest bedroom but I turned it into a gym so I'll be on the couch. And don't argue with me Chloe. It's my decision." Chloe was surprised by Nadine's commanding tone. She wasn't use to--and did not like being talked to like a child--but it seemed like Nadine did everything she was opposed to and that was okay.

Nadine made her way towards the door with her things in hand and Chloe followed.

"Listen Nadine, while I do appreciate your hospitality and kind demands, I don't mind being on the couch. This is your bed. A very... comfortable one. But that's beside the point. You don't need to treat me like I'm an a-list celebrity. Although the face could say--" Nadine stopped in her tracks to turn and face Chloe, stopping the other girl mid sentence. She was going to say something back but that all disappeared when she realized how close her and Chloe were to each other. They both paused for bit, wondering and paranoid if the other was going to make a move but no one did, thankfully. Nadine had opened her mouth again to respond but stumbled to find the words as she was too distracted by Chloe's face being a few inches away from hers.

"Food is ready!" Nadine's mother shouted from down the hall, breaking the moment. The two women stepped back from each other and stood awkwardly like a moment between them didn't just happen. Nadine turned to see her mother still at the end of the hall with her head poking out. She gave her daughter a wink before returning back to the kitchen and Nadine couldn't help but roll her eyes. She felt a pint of embarrassment but when she looked at Chloe, she didn't seem phased one bit. In fact, she swooped passed Nadine and was the first one who made it to the dining table.

Three bowls were placed on top of placemats and filled with what looked like stew. Chloe went ahead and sat on the longer side of the rectangular glass table with Nadine's mother in front of her and Nadine on the end, sitting between the two. She didn't bother getting a glass of water or any kind of beverage and just dived in. She was definitely in need of an actual home cooked meal after three days of snacks and Nadine's disgusting MREs. Nadine's mother was satisfied by how fast Chloe was eating. She had never seen her daughter devour her food that quickly but Nadine was a picky eater when it came to real food.

"I must say Mrs. Ross, this is heavenly," Chloe complimented after taking her last bite of vegetables. "I couldn't remember the last time I had a meal this delicious."

Nadine's mother giggled. "Please, call me Kandie and thank you. It's nice knowing someone appreciates my cooking." She eyed her daughter on the word  _cooking_. Nadine stopped before she could put a spoonful of vegetables in her mouth once she realized two pairs of eyes were on her. She was uncomfortable that she was the center of attention and became irritated at her mother for calling her out. Ever since they landed, she felt like her mother was testing her patience. But before Nadine could respond back with a snarky comment, Chloe's chair screeched back and she stood.

"Oh I'm sure she'd appreciate it if she had my cooking. I'm terrible." She gave a wink at her partner before taking her dish to the sink and washing it out. "Now if you don't mind, I will be in the shower. I still have Indian muck all over me." Nadine tried not to laugh, so she smiled instead.

The air was silent at the dinner table once Chloe left for her shower. Nadine tried to finish the last bits of her bowl so her mother wouldn't antagonize her on not finishing her food but her stomach was on the brink of exploding. When she finished, Kandie went to grab her daughter's bowl as well as her own and brought it to the sink to wash.

"Did you two kiss back there?"

Nadine choked on her water,  _again_. Seems her mother had a habit of doing that to her. "What? No. We didn't kiss, mum. Nothing happened. It was just an accident."

"What accident? Standing that close to each other? Should've made that move, meisie."

"Mum!" Nadine slammed the gallon of water she was going to pour into her cup, onto the kitchen counter. "We're just business partners. Nothing more. In fact, we just got back from a job."

"What is it that you two have been doing?" Shit, she forgot to update her mother on what she was doing since she asked right before taking up Chloe's offer. Well, it wouldn't hurt to tell her... in a way it sounded more professional.

"We uh... specialize in retrieving ancient artifacts for... beneficial reasons," Nadine responded as much as she could to avoid the more simpler term.

"Treasure hunters?" Her mother sounded discouraging at the name. "Your treasure hunters and you sell them for money? Eish Nadia, what happened to getting Shoreline back?"

Nadine paused for a moment. Her mother hadn't called her that since she was a teenager. She wondered why she was using that nickname again.

"I don't know, ma. Technically, I took Chloe's offer because I thought the cut would help me bribe Shoreline back and rebuild my rep... but I really enjoyed this. I like the climbing, the jumping, the puzzle solving. I like the seeing ancient cities and treasures. And Chloe... she's good. We're good together. I want to keep doing this."

"Ah, yes... Chloe Frazer." Nadine became nervous with her mother's seemingly disappointed tone of voice. "You know, you seem a lot happier since the last time I talked to you."

"What does that even mean? I'm fine, mum."

"I know you are but it feels different this time," her mother thought. "Now I wonder, do you have feelings for this woman?"

Nadine wasn't prepared for such a question. "W-w-wait a second," she stumbled. "I never said anything about that."

Kandie stopped her clean up routine and gave Nadine such a serious look that scared her. "Do not lie to me, Nadia. You fidget when you're nervous."

"I'm not nervous mum--could we not do this?" Nadine was frustrated. This was not going to be a confrontation.

"Fine, but I'm just pointing out the obvious."

"There is no obvious--" Nadine was to finish her sentence but paused when Chloe returned, hair damp and well brushed. She wore a white t-shirt and blue gym shorts. Nadine could tell she wasn't wearing a bra because she spotted her erect nipples making an appearance in the shirt. She tried to refrain from staring but it was noticeable. Not from Kandie, who was watching her daughter become speechless at the sight of the clean and comfortable, Chloe Frazer. She was definitely sure about this.

"I've never felt so clean in my life," Chloe said, breaking silence. Her eyes caught Nadine who was silent and staring. She couldn't help but show a little smirk. "Cat got your tongue, Nadine?"

The other woman shook her head to bring herself back. "No, I'm just--um, that's my shirt you're wearing." It was a regular white t-shirt but Nadine could just tell it was hers. It was a little too lose on Chloe.

"Oh yeah, I kind of forgot to pack another shirt. I tend to just throw things in my pack cause I'm ridiculously a last minute packer. Hope you don't mind though?"

"Of course not." Nadine gave a warm smile. She loved the fact that Chloe was wearing  _her_  shirt but she'd never admit that.

"Good," Chloe returned the smile. They found themselves gazing into one another for a quick second until Chloe snapped out of it. "Well, I don't want to intrude on your conversation so I'll just take myself out to the yard. I have yet to see it."

Nadine nodded as Chloe turned herself towards the outside and she couldn't control her eyes that moved itself downwards to Chloe's bottom. She immediately averted her gaze; her heart racing at the realization of what she succumbed to. She cursed herself.

"You're an idiot," her mother spoke.

"What?"

"You--are--an--idiot--if you do not realize your feelings for her. I can see it in you, Nadine."

She sighed heavily. It was never going to end with her mother, but she started to think maybe she was right. Nadine struggled to put her thoughts together; nothing made sense. Her mind was all over the place, her feelings were jumbled together. There was no way to escape this now that her mother was attacking her about this.

Nadine's eyes,  _again_ , were locked on Chloe who walked the entire backyard and finished by sitting along the poolside, legs dangling in the water. She loved how peaceful Chloe looked, just being out there by herself. She was tempted to join her partner but she thought best to just stay inside. And in that moment, she realized how beautiful Chloe was; she could not keep her eyes off her. What Sam said to her, the other day about him noticing the glances between them two, he was right. All those memories sent butterflies around Nadine's stomach. Did she truly have feelings for Chloe? Or was it just natural attraction, because Chloe was undeniably,a  _very_   attractive woman.

She reminisced the memories of India, breaking down every moment and every reason she had when saving Chloe's ass. Especially the train. Why did Nadine feel so hurt when Chloe decided to go after it?  Why did she, herself,  _go_? After minutes of understanding why, she came to conclusion that she would miss Chloe. At some point during the hunt, Nadine felt a strong fondness for her partner but never realized. Her actions were the effects of that. If Chloe had gone after the train by herself, she wouldn't have made it for sure. Who knew if she was able to defeat Asav alone. Hell, Nadine couldn't even do it herself and she was the one who fought off two brothers at the same time. But she couldn't help but feel sad for Chloe. The woman was willing to give her life as long as the people were safe and it broke Nadine's heart. She didn't see Chloe playing a hero so she wondered if she even cared about her own life that she was so willing to risk it without taking a second to think. In two days, they gotten used to being around each other and formed a good bond, that if Chloe did not make it, Nadine would be crushed. She would miss the Aussie's cocky and free-spirited personality and witty humor, that at first, she couldn't stand. Now, it was what she  _loved_  about Chloe the most. It was what made her  _her_.

Nadine finalized her thoughts, resulting in her admitting her feelings to be true and that she was just in denial the entire time.

She took a deep breath, "Holy shit..."

Her mother was still in the kitchen, wiping off the counters with cleaning spray. She didn't look Nadine in the eye but she could tell her daughter finally came to her senses. A wide grin flew across her face. She knew she was right about her daughter. She always was.

"Do you think she feels the same?" Nadine asked.

"Ask her, Nadia," her mother replied.  "What could go wrong?"

 _Everything_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo I actually created Nadine's house on sims 4 because I'm so invested in these two lol


	4. A Little Bit of Liquor

Chloe woke up out of her well rested sleep to sounds of grunts and  _ clanging _ against metal on metal. She got up to follow the sound. Down the hall, she saw Nadine in a sports bra and gym shorts doing a bench press. Her hair was tied back like usual and she was sweaty all over. The room was a little bigger than her bedroom and had workout equipment everywhere. The bench press was placed against the wall on the left, an elliptical was facing the giant window with the treadmill next to it. There was also a punching bag in the opposite corner with a shelf of different pairs of boxing gloves and beside it, a rack of dumbbells with a wide range of weights.

Instead of going back to the bedroom to continue sleeping, Chloe decided to watch Nadine work out just a little longer. Nadine benched what seemed like a hundred and fifty pounds. She watched as the other woman’s muscles flexed as she lifted the bar up and down while making heavy grunts. It was such a delight to see her partner do something  _ normal _ ; and her  life wasn’t exactly normal ever since growing up without a father, then spending years after with an unstable mother. Until the day she was off on her own--at sixteen, the life of thieving and hunting for money took over and eventually, she made her way to the top.

It’d been a day since arriving at Nadine’s but she found herself at home because well, she never had a home for herself. Nothing to come back to and relax, always moving from one place to another and seeing Nadine in natural human behavior was just comforting for her. It had been so long since she had felt at home anywhere.

“Pull up a chair and admire the view, won’t ya?” Nadine teased. The other woman put the bar back where it belonged and went to chug the water bottle that sat next to her. Chloe watched her as the sweat of her fine muscles glimmered from the shining light coming in from the giant windows.

“Oh no I’m fine right here, love.” She winked which caused eye rolls from Nadine, who failed to hide her blush. Nadine went to grab a hand towel she had handing on the elliptical and wiped the sweat off her forehead and neck. “So when are we doing this?”

“I’m going to shower first. After, we’ll discuss about Shoreline. I'll be quick.”

“Aye aye, captain.” Chloe saluted, before Nadine could head to the bathroom. 

__

Chloe took that time to really observe the house since Nadine claimed the interior design (except the wall decor) was all hers.  There was a cute little area when she turned to her left from the hall and into the kitchen. It was a reading area: one big bookshelf, a lamp, and two recliner chairs with an end table in between, finishing with a nice accent rug to balance the rust color setting in that one space. The kitchen had a modern setting. The cabinets were white with dark grey solid surface counter tops, the stove sat in the island with three pendant lights hung above and stools sitting across. It was way too modern for Chloe’s taste but Nadine had a way of making it feel cozy. The living area seemed to be Chloe’s favorite spot. It was a level down from everything else just by a few steps but it was a wide space with huge windows that brought in all the light, and the fireplace was against the only plain wall in the room. Nadine’s fifty inch TV was right next to it, standing on a chest like stand, facing diagonal to the couch. From there you could see the entire backyard; a pool with a hot tub attached, a couple of lounge chairs, and a garden.  _ Nadine has great taste _ , she thought. Everything seemed right where it needed to be. Perfectly placed and designed like a professional. 

After observing the house a little more, she headed back to the bedroom to grab her cell phone to take pictures of the house. Definitely something worth capturing. _A_ _beautiful home_. Before she could even get the camera app on, she received a message from Elena.

_ Elena: So Sam’s here and he’s told me something bizarre _

_ Chloe: Well hello to you too sunshine, how’s life treating ya? _

_ Elena: I’m great :) So you and Nadine Ross, huh?  _ Chloe stared at the text.

_ Chloe: Yeah well, despite her history between Sam and Nate, I trust her _

_ Elena: I hope you’re right. Nate would freak out lol. He still doesn’t know _

_ Chloe: Why would he need to? We barely exchange words as it is _

_ Elena: That could change :) The baby shower is next Saturday. I want you to be here _

_ Chloe: Holy shit girly, I forgot you were pregnant. Hmm… can I bring her? _

_ Elena: If you trust her, then I trust her. I won’t tell Nate ;) _

_ Chloe: Awe, you’re a doll. We’ll definitely be there after this last job _

_ Elena: I thought you were done with India? _

_ Chloe: Change of plans. I’m in South Africa… with Nadine. Ending Shoreline. _

_ Elena: What the hell Chloe! That’s dangerous! Should I bring in some help? _

_ Chloe: We’ll be fine, love  _

_ Elena: Alright… be careful! If I don't get a message from you soon, I'm sending someone there! _

Chloe put the phone down with a comforting smile, admitting she appreciated her and Elena’s friendship after what they’d gone through. Her and Nate hadn’t had a decent conversation or caught up on their latest shenanigans, but Elena always kept in contact with her. That’s how Chloe knew about what happened in Libertalia and discovered Elena's pregnancy.  Now thinking about Shoreline, it made her stomach turn. This was different than just fighting an army while hunting for lost treasure. It was their base, but thankfully, Nadine knew her way around; guess it was good that she’d partnered up with a former mercenary.

She heard footsteps behind her and immediately turned around to find Nadine standing there with just a towel covering from her breast to her middle thigh. Her exposed body parts were not completely dry but they were on the way. Nadine’s hair was damp and down, something Chloe had not seen yet. Chloe realized she was staring when she noticed that Nadine wasn’t moving. She immediately turned back around.

“Um… I was going to head out before you were done, I just uh, needed to grab my phone.”

“No it’s alright. I should’ve taken some clothes with me.” Nadine went into her walk in closet unbothered which left Chloe feeling strange. Kind of like she  _ wanted _ to see more of Nadine, but she felt strange about it. It was years ago, possibly in her early twenties, that she had encounters with women, once or twice. There was no lie that she was attracted to them, but she never saw herself being with one. She decided to brush off the odd feeling and leave the room for Nadine’s privacy.

It was a quick change for Nadine when Chloe was called just a second after she sat on the couch. Nadine brought out a map almost the size of her kitchen counter and placed it in the middle of the island. Chloe went ahead to sit on the stool and observe it.

“Let’s get started,” Nadine proposed, her elbows on the edge of the counter.

“Well about time we did,” Chloe joked. “You took an awfully long shower.”

“I had a lot on my mind…” Nadine responded, trying to hide her blush. It was definitely  _ not _ Shoreline she was thinking of. She then pointed her finger to a location northwest of Cape Town. More west than north, seemed to be. “The base is in Worcester, built into the side of a mountain. Going through the valley and up the mountain side should give us clear sight of what we’re in for.”

“Okay, so do we have an actual plan or?”

“I’d think it’d be best if we scout the area first, ja? Then we’ll see from there.” Nadine folded the map and tucked it in her back pocket. Chloe felt uncertain, as if Nadine, for the first time in her life, had no idea on how to deal with something this difficult. She should’ve taken Elena’s offer and use help. Nadine gestured for Chloe to follow her into a room that was in the hall behind the kitchen. Nadine unlocked it with a key and inside, lights turned on one by one. It was a dark grey room with weapons displayed on two of the four walls. There were bunch of papers and maps that were pinned to a board and scattered across the counter. In the middle was a big table, Chloe assumed, was the planning table. The South African woman went ahead and grabbed a grey duffle bag and took some weapons off the the gun racks. Next, she went into what seemed like an armoire and took out a pair of bulletproof vests. Chloe couldn’t do anything but stare at her partner who packed like they were going off to war. What the hell was she getting herself into?

When they finished packing their things, Nadine led them to the garage and turned on the lights to reveal two vehicles. One was two seater jeep with just a roll cage that resembled a military insurgent without doors. The other one was a king cab pickup truck, dark grey with monstrous wheels, and tinted windows. _Jesus, Nadine._  Chloe stood in awe of the vehicles, mostly the jeep. It looked tough and Chloe loved tough.

“Pick, Frazer.” Nadine held out the keys for each vehicle.

Chloe took a second to think. The pickup truck looked amazing to drive but Chloe fell for jeeps every time and Nadine had  _ the perfect _ one. “Hm, can I drive?”

“No but you can choose,” Nadine replied, jingling the two keys in front of her partner.

“I’m the best driver in the business,” Chloe reminded, “and this isn’t the Ghats. I’m sure I won’t be driving us off waterfalls this time.”

Nadine thought for a second, “You’ll drive back. Now pick a truck.”

Chloe chose the jeep without hesitation. She wasn’t all too disappointed that she couldn’t drive but it made sense for Nadine to. She knew the place better but Chloe just wanted to drive because it was a control thing. Nate always had her drive when they worked together.

___

Worcester was an hour and twenty minute drive that turned into two hours, due to Nadine stopping in a storage area where she came out with two heavy bags. They had also stopped to get gasoline and Chloe picked up some snacks along the way. The scenery driving towards the mountains were beautiful. Chloe captured pictures of the mountain ranges that they were closing in on and sent them to Elena. Elena responded with a picture of her smiling with a plate of food that was placed at the top of her eight month pregnant belly.

During the drive, her mind wandered to other things besides Shoreline, like perhaps her partner who drove with one hand on the wheel and the other against the middle console. It was an attractive sight, but she wondered what made Nadine so different, almost as if, Chloe’s personality evolved during their two day adventure in India. She went from almost selling Nadine out to making sure she pulled the woman with her when she jumped from the helicopter. Now, she couldn’t see herself being old Chloe; the one who’d leave as soon she'd think her life was on the line or the one who double crossed allies. A few years after Syria, she did things on her own for awhile until she wanted to bring Nate along but he refused and introduced Sam instead. Since then, Chloe and Sam went one hunt together. Stealing treasure for money was always exciting, but Chloe had always felt alone. Nate had Elena and with every other man she met, it never got as far as sex. Then Nadine came into the picture and Chloe felt comfortable. She was actually the first person Chloe had told anything really personal too. Seeing as Nadine was the first one to see Chloe slightly cry, she wasn’t ashamed and when they argued, she knew she had to fix it because she  _ wanted _ to and it meant breaking that wall she had built up in her. It was the first time in a long time that she had felt close and comfortable with a person and she wasn’t going to lose that.

A bump in the dirt road that started a pathway for the mountain side, caused Chloe to lose grip of her phone. She eyed Nadine in which the other woman looked over and shrugged her shoulders. They kept driving for another five minutes until they were stopped in a patch of grass and to their left, was a small outpost built into the mountain side. Nadine went ahead to park under a big tree that gave enough shade to cover the car and when she noticed Chloe looked unsure about the outpost, she assured her it was abandoned. She proceeded to take out the weapons bag and pull out her unloaded sniper rifle. Chloe followed her to the edge of the cliff that was blocked by a half stone wall and used her binoculars to eye the compound while Nadine used the scope on her gun. There were quite a few soldiers outside. Two or three took spots on the top levels, two were guarding the front, and there were at least five of them surrounding a cargo truck. It was hard for Nadine to determine how many of them were there until she got inside. And  _ that _ , was an idea for a plan.

“We’re staying up here for the night. I have to watch these guard posts. Things had to change drastically since I was here,” Nadine informed. “That alright?”

“Sure,” Chloe answered sarcastically. “If I’d have known we’d be camping, I would’ve brought a tent or a grill to whip up some grub. Or maybe, you know, a bloody umbrella.” They both started to feel raindrops on their arms. The clouds above them weren’t dark and cloudy so Chloe wondered where the hell it came from.

“Eish, stop being dramatic. We have the outpost to sleep under. I’ll be standing right here most of the night. You can do… whatever it is that you do.”

Chloe knelt down and rummaged through her bag. “Well, good thing I brought this lovely beauty to keep me company then.” She held out a bottle of whiskey, hoping it’d get a positive reaction out of her partner but the only thing Nadine returned was rolled eyes and a mumbled  _ eish _ then went back to scoping Shoreline.

“Seriously, it’s four in the afternoon.”

“It’s never too early--or late, for a drink.” Chloe winked as she popped open the cap and took a sip from the bottle, trying to ignore the burning aftertaste in her throat. “Come on, china.”

“I’m not much of a liquor drinker.” Nadine took her eyes out of the scope to look at her partner who was taking another sip. She dropped her gun in frustration and went over to snatch the bottle out of Chloe’s hand. Chloe stood there and coughed from choking. “I don’t need you drunk out your ass when we sneak in.”

“Sneaking in? That’s our plan?”

“I thought you like the dangerous stuff, Frazer. Change your mind?” 

The Aussie woman gave a cold stare before she snatched the bottle back and chugged. By the time she was finished, it was almost at the halfway mark. Her vision became blurred and her motions were slumped but she wasn’t wasted yet. Just slightly tipsy. Nadine decided to forget about the compound for a minute and watch Chloe as she struggled to sit down. 

“You sure know how to hold your liquor.”

“Yeah well, I figured I’d loosen the brain for awhile,” Chloe said. “Being the smartest of the group deserves a reward, after all.” She went ahead and took another sip.

Nadine rose an eyebrow at her partner’s cockiness. “Ja, but without me, you wouldn’t have someone saving your ass all the time.”

_ Well it is an ass worth saving _ , Chloe thought. She took a second to think about the many times Nadine had saved her from death and of course, her partner was right. She went ahead and lifted the bottle in the air, “Cheers to you, china, for saving my ass well over a hundred times.” She smiled at the thought. Without Nadine, Chloe probably wouldn’t have been alive. Maybe it was the liquor that was slowly getting to her but she felt something deep for Nadine. Something she didn’t think she could feel in a person again and it scared her shitless. So she pulled the whiskey to her lips to take another sip, but Nadine with her fast reflexes, took hold of the bottle. Chloe sat there, annoyingly amused. “You’ve taken it from me so many times now, just drink it, mate. I know you want to.”

Nadine hesitated. She wasn’t much of a liquor drinker but it wasn’t too long ago that she had some. When she stayed in London, she always found herself at the bar, drowning herself in self pity for losing her father’s company. Life had definitely gone to shit if Nadine Ross was drinking, but she had lost everything. Her men, her pay, her relationship with her father… so it all made sense. But she started to think maybe it was a good thing because it helped her realize she wanted to do a much more entertaining job: treasure hunting with Chloe. A woman she grew to truly care for; someone she’d do anything for. 

When she came to reality about her life and her growing feelings for the Aussie woman, she shrugged and lifted the bottle, “What the hell.” She took a long sip while Chloe stared at her with a devilish grin on her face. Nadine finally gave in.

The next few hours went by dreadfully slow. The whiskey was three quarters gone, thanks to Chloe. The world spun uncontrollably and that was when she drew the line, giving the rest to Nadine who put the cap back on and set it aside. They sat next to each other with their backs against a log, sharing secrets and details about themselves. It was a good bonding time for the two women before whatever they had to face. 

The sky was a mix of orange, pink, and purple with the sun setting above the mountain peak. Nadine stood up, feeling slightly dizzy, and held out her hand for Chloe. They both walked over to the edge where Nadine was supposed to be stationed and observed the sunset as it slowly set behind the mountain. Chloe found comfort in watching it, feeling like she was at peace especially with Nadine by her side. She looked over to her partner who couldn’t keep her eyes out of the sky. Her hazel eyes gleamed from the only sunlight they had left and Chloe couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Nadine looked that evening. She felt their shoulders brush against each other that sent shivers down her spine, and she had hoped Nadine didn’t see her blush. Why was this affecting her so much?

A pain in her gut interrupted her distraction from watching the sunset. She was feeling all sorts of emotions. She felt happy, confused, guilty… She wondered if Nadine had felt something too so she wouldn’t feel so confused. The more she thought it out, guilt crept all over her. Nadine was her friend, her business partner. She didn’t want to ruin anything they had and she  _ definitely _ didn’t want Nadine to be a victim of her antics and bullshit. Maybe that was why Chloe was always alone, no one was there because she tended to push everyone away when it came to feelings. She absolutely  _ hated _ feelings, but with Nadine, she couldn’t control how crazy it made her feel. It was definitely strange to her though, being fond of a woman after so long since encountering one. If they were to get together, Nadine would be her first and  _ that _ was a scary thought.

The sun had finally set beyond the horizon, darkening their sights. It became pitch black and Chloe couldn’t have asked for a better time of day to hide the fact that her cheeks were burning red from how hard she blushed. If she had known the whiskey would make her feel this much, she wouldn’t have drank majority of the bottle. Now she was faced with her feelings.

She looked over to Nadine who was no longer looking up at the shifted sky. Her gaze was upon Shoreline, watching their every move. She wondered how the alcohol affected her partner. Was she thinking the same things as Chloe? Was she upset? Angry? Tired? … Drunk? There was no expression in her face.

“Hey Nadine?” Chloe called, her voice low and raspy. Nadine slowly turned her head and their eyes met each other’s. Chloe felt her heart race at the sight of it.

“Ja?” Nadine responded.

“Um, so I was thinking… the tusk gave us quite a bit of money and I know you’re pretty stable financially, right?” Nadine nodded, also confused on where Chloe was headed with this. “So, we should go on a trip… after this whole Shoreline thing is finished. I figured we could use a little break before we go on another hunt. Whaddaya say?”

Nadine hesitated, “You sure you want to do that? I thought you’d hop on a plane home after this was finished.”

“Oh darling, you can’t get rid of me that easily, but if you want me to go, I guess I’ll--”

“No, wait,” Nadine quickly placed her hand on top of Chloe’s, making sure she didn’t leave. Although she knew Chloe was joking around, she still didn’t want her to leave. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” Chloe’s cheeks burned from smiling at the touch of Nadine’s hand. “I like when you’re here.” 

Chloe gave an adoring smile, “Yeah, me too.” The Aussie felt the butterflies. She was, for sure, still drunk so all of her emotions were driving her incredibly insane, but she kept her cool. “So, where would you like to go? Alaska? Ireland? The States?”

Somehow, they were inching closer to each other, their eyes never leaving one another. Chloe had the instinct to move away but something was telling her not to, so she didn’t. She felt Nadine’s lips brush against hers as their bodies grew closer, with Nadine attempting to lean in more. Chloe, on the other hand, was getting too nervous so she continuously pulled back slightly, maintaining the inch of distance they had between their lips. She continued until she felt her body about to topple over to the left and she stopped herself, ultimately closing the gap, lips finally meeting. For a second or two, Chloe’s world froze. Her eyes stayed shut because she was too afraid to see if their kiss was really happening, because it sure felt like a dream.  But she finally stopped being Nadine’s pain in the ass and kissed her back. She deepened the kiss as Nadine tried to find a way to slide her tongue inside, her muscular arms closing in around her partner’s torso. Their kisses lasted a little longer until Nadine picked her up and propped her onto the ledge that they originally leaned against. As the kiss became more passionate, it became a war for dominance with their tongues. Chloe had her hands gripped on the ledge so she wouldn’t fall over, but Nadine’s gentle hands along her back kept her in place.

Nadine would  _ never _ let Chloe fall. 

All the passionate kissing caused the liquor to wear off slightly but her mind was still a blur and everything felt dizzy. They continued, but it this time, it became rougher. Chloe wasn’t sure if her body was the one influencing it or if she was just following along, but she didn’t stop. Nadine leaned into her as if it wasn’t enough but she had pushed too far back and Chloe’s ass no longer sat on the ledge. The Aussie caught herself by quickly wrapping her arms around her partner’s neck and squeezed ever so tightly. Nadine pulled her back as they both laughed at the close call. But Chloe’s arms were still wrapped up around Nadine’s neck when she stood up, just in case she was going to fall because her knees felt weak. Her entire body felt weak, actually.

But it wasn’t too long until her knees gave out and she fell onto the ground. Nadine’s hands were somewhere on Chloe’s body, making sure she was alright. “I think you should rest, Chloe.” Nadine couldn’t help but laugh.

“That is a great idea,” Chloe agreed. “I’m going to do just that.” The woman crawled herself towards the fire that Nadine had started before the sky turned color. She laid herself on a sleeping bag that her former mercenary partner brought along and embraced the warmth and smell of the burning wood. Nadine didn’t go with her, instead stayed in the same spot to look down at Shoreline with her binoculars.

Chloe's world still shook violently as she was coming down from her intoxication so she decided to flop herself down. Her mind wasn’t all that clear but she was still able to think of what happened. They kissed--well, made out and she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She sort of... wanted  _ more _ .


	5. Eye Spy on Shoreline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait on this chapter. I'm writing as much as I can. This week was sort of difficult because I am going to New York to visit my family tomorrow! (technically today cause it's 1:45 a.m) Feel free to leave comments too! I want to know what you guys think. I always doubt my writing.

_ Holy goddamn shit. _

Nadine couldn’t believe it happened. She wasn’t able to focus on Shoreline anymore because she just wanted to be near Chloe, who was asleep in the outpost. The moment replayed in her head over and over again, slowly reminiscing how soft the woman’s lips were. Nadine could’ve melted in them. She definitely had wanted more, but she thought otherwise to not feel so guilty about kissing Chloe when she was drunk. But did Chloe feel the same way? Was that why she kissed Nadine back? She desperately wanted answers without being too forward, although kissing Chloe first,  _ definitely _ counted as forward. But what would happen if she expressed her feelings to her partner? Because it wasn’t a lie. Nadine had always been content with her feelings towards others. She knew what she wanted and she wanted her.  But the guilt wouldn’t go away. She knew in that moment, that it was a terrible idea but she couldn’t bring herself to kiss Chloe if she was completely sober. Ironic how the tough exterior that was Nadine Ross became jello when it came to Chloe Frazer. 

The watch on her arm buzzed at four a.m, alarming her that it was time. She headed over to Chloe who was sound asleep on the ground, knees curled up to the chest. She was like a little child, utterly adorable. Nadine squatted down, her thumb caressing the rough skin of Chloe’s cheek while basking in her beauty. She had cuts and bruises along her body, hair that stuck to her sweaty face, but it was the fact that she looked amazing, no matter what kind of grime was all over her. She was falling for this woman.

Her watch buzzed again. She groaned at the sudden interruption that jolted her hand away from the Aussie’s face. “Chloe?”

The woman instantly woke followed by a beaming headache. “Hey… oh shit.” Chloe had her hand holding her forehead while propping herself on her elbow. “Alright, no more drinking for awhile. Got any painkillers?”

Nadine chuckled, “No, but maybe some water would help?”

“Oh for sure. I’m drenched.” She stood up with the help of Nadine, but immediately froze, due to back pain. “Jesus, I miss that bed of yours. Next time we do something like this, I’m bringing it with me.”

Nadine watched Chloe walk over to the jeep to grab a bottle of water out of a small cooler Nadine kept in the trunk. She observed as the woman chugged the entire thing down then suggested she drink more so she wouldn’t be dehydrated. She wasn’t going to let Chloe in that building until she was able to walk normally without falling over.

“You would not believe this insane dream I had,” Chloe exaggerated. Nadine crossed her arms when she walked over to Chloe, readied to listen. “So, the sun was setting. You and I were in this exact place but over by that ledge,” Nadine’s heart started to race. Was she… “and I really don’t remember what we talked about but it had something to do with vacationing somewhere and then guess fucking what? We kissed. Can you believe that? I wouldn’t even know how to react. I mean… pfft, it was unbelievable.”

Whether Chloe was in shock or just completely drunk last night, it shot a pain in Nadine’s chest. She had hoped Chloe would be happy at the fact that it actually happened but she figured it was just her flirtatious personality that was driven by a Three Ships Whiskey bottle. Maybe the woman flirted without thought that it would affect her partner so much. But then Nadine came to realization that Chloe was just being Chloe the entire time, and she felt like a complete fool for even thinking the feeling would reciprocate.

Now she was hurt. “Frazer,” she called. Chloe was still babbling on about how ‘ridiculous’ it was to have a dream like that and Nadine did not want to hear it anymore. “We need to get moving.”

“Sure thing, china, but I need to know what the hell it is that we’re doing.”

Nadine grabbed Chloe’s shoulder and walked her over to the ledge. The same spot where they had made out last night. She took out her partner’s binoculars and pointed down at the base. “See those guards? We’re going to take them out first. Then we head inside, find whoever’s in control and end it. We wiped out most of Shoreline back in India. There should only be a handful left.”

“This isn’t much of a plan, Nadine. It sounds more improvised in between the lines.”

“Thought that was your thing.”

“Look, you know I’m all for improvisation, but this is  _ risky _ , china.”

“So sneaking into the middle of a war zone and stealing a key artifact wasn’t risky at all?”

“There’s a difference.”

“How is this any different?!” Nadine was no longer using her quiet voice. She paced back and forth, frustrated now.

“This is Shoreline’s headquarters, Nadine! You don’t know what’s going to happen in there. Who knows if we’d make it out alive.”

“This is my deal; my company that I lost! I have to get this done whether you’re in or not.” Nadine went ahead to put on her bulletproof vest and put her pistol in its thigh holster. 

Chloe stood in the same spot, slightly hurt by those words. “Nadine--”

“Why did you even come?! If you had second thoughts all this time, why did you bother coming here with me?! Is it because you think you owe me for the train? Because I thought you had my back like I had yours.”

“I do have your back!” Chloe yelled, causing Nadine to raise an eyebrow in disbelief with an arm on her hip. It was quiet for a few seconds before Chloe found words to respond; to assure Nadine. “Okay… look, maybe I…”

“Eish, just spit it out, Frazer. Why the hell are you here?”

“Alright…” Chloe took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Something about Nadine being upset with her, made her feel vulnerable. But everyone else though, she’d retaliate. “If we’re being honest here… I didn’t come because I owed you for the train. I came because…… because I care.” Nadine had her eyes towards the ground but when she heard those words from her partner, she looked up, searching for sincerity in her eyes. “Nadine, I can’t just let you go in there alone. Regardless of how you feel about me right now, I want to be here. I have your back and I always will. We’re partners. Okay?”

Nadine heart warmed a little but she was still hurt from before. No words escaped her mouth so she nodded in response. The truth was that Chloe Frazer did care, she just had an awful way of expressing it, but Nadine was too focused on the unreciprocated feelings from her partner that it couldn’t ease her aching heart. 

But she snapped out of it in quick seconds. Nadine had to separate her feelings from duty, something she was used to doing. Shoreline was the main priority and if she failed, it’d come back to haunt her for the rest of her life. She needed to finish this.

“Please say something?” Chloe begged.

Nadine couldn’t look her in the eyes but she made out some words, “We need to go.”

_______

 

They made it down the mountainside, slipping by the unoccupied gates. Before Nadine drove further in, she took a look around the hangars: empty. So she decided it was best to go on foot from now on, just in case there were any surprises. Nadine parked the jeep by the gate and readied her weapons by screwing a silencer on her pistol and checking loading the magazines. Chloe sported the bulletproof vest as well and decided to finish her look with a grey cap baseball cap she found in the glovebox. She tied her hair in a tight ponytail and slipped the tail through the hole of the cap. Then Nadine gave her a radio and an earpiece so they could talk, just in case.

The base wasn’t too far of a walking distance, but the guards were still out there. She needed to take out the two that guarded the front door without the soldier above them noticing. Good thing she packed a sniper. Nadine pulled it out from the bag and loaded a magazine into its slot then handed it to Chloe.

“Take this up there,” Nadine told, gesturing to the outpost behind them. “You claim you’re good with guns so I need you to snipe the soldier that guards the second level. I won’t be able to take out the two by the door unless he’s dead.”

“Okay…” Chloe grabbed the gun. “Then what?”

“I’ll wait for you and then we sneak up to the top level and go through there. Got it?”

Chloe nodded, making her way up to outpost to get in position. She pulled the sniper up to her shoulders, an eye into the scope to observe the building and watch Nadine walk to it without being seen. She wondered why Nadine was being so distant with her. It wasn’t like before where Nadine’s seriousness balanced with Chloe’s free spirit personality, establishing a rhythm. Nadine wasn’t her usual self this time and Chloe was confused on why. It didn’t seem like their little fight was the reason either.

Chloe aimed at the soldier on the top level then moved around to see if there were any other soldiers up there that Nadine couldn’t see from the mountain side. None, and that was good. She waited for Nadine to get closer so she could pull the trigger on her guy. She watched him pace along the railing back to the chair that he had in the corner, his finger already on the trigger. She just needed him to get away from the railing so that the soldiers below wouldn’t see him drop. She waited and waited until he finally walked closer to his chair then---  _ click _ . He was down. Chloe radioed Nadine that the top was clear but when she used her sniper to find Nadine, the woman was already walking up behind the first man. With the scope zoomed in, she noticed a security camera. She wasn’t sure if it was in use so she took it out then continued on Nadine who had wrapped her arms around the soldier’s head, snapping his neck without hesitation. Then came the second guy who turned around just before his buddy dropped dead. He seemed freaked out as Nadine casually aimed for him with darkness in her eyes but before he could lift his gun to shoot her, she grabbed the rifle out of her way to punch him and pin him to the ground, thus choking him to death. Chloe stayed still, shocked and impressed.

“You sure don’t hesitate with Shoreline,” Chloe radioed.

“Try running an army for ten years to have them turn on you because some rich boy decided to play my dick is bigger,” Nadine reminded.

Chloe tried to make the conversation less tense, “Well… was it?”

“Fuck off, Frazer. Now’s not the time.”

“I kid, I kid. Still, after all he collected, he still wanted more?”

“Ja. Too bad he died with the ship. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Now let’s go.”

Chloe made it down within seconds, throwing the sniper in the truck as she ran her way to Nadine. By the time she reached her, Nadine had hidden the bodies in the bushes.  _ Smart move _ . Then she threw her rope, hoping her grapple hook would catch the edge so they could climb up. Nadine went first, carefully checking for enemies with her gun aimed. Chloe saw the door in her line of sight so she headed for it first, not waiting for Nadine to check ahead, but suddenly the door opened and Nadine quickly pulled her in behind a wall before the soldier could spot her. Nadine’s arms were wrapped around Chloe, making sure she didn’t move. Chloe’s heart jumped for a second but she calmed down in her partner’s arms. 

Footsteps of the soldier grew louder and Nadine gestured Chloe to stay put while she prepared herself to take the man down.  _ One… two… three… _ he was in Nadine’s line of sight. The stronger woman swung her fist up his chin, uppercutting him only to grab his rifle by the barrel and stock, choking him with it. Now he was unconscious.

They made their way inside, finding themselves in a dimly lit hallway. It was empty. Chloe followed Nadine with their guns drawn as they checked every corner and room that they encountered. No one was there. Nadine ordered for them to split and check the top level. They went ahead and searched around the entire top floor until they met in the middle; right where the stairs were.

“This just doesn’t fit right. How is this level completely empty?”

_ Ding. _ The elevators behind them rung. The arrow was facing upwards and the number said floor two.  _ Shit _ . The women ran to hide behind a wall just before whoever was in the elevator walked out. There came two men, one with a lab coat and clipboard at his side, the other a guard.

“You take left, I take right?” Chloe suggested.

“I got the soldier, save the other one,” Nadine commanded. “We’re gonna talk to him.”

“Alright. Don’t take all the credit this time, okay?” Chloe gave a little wink but Nadine rolled her eyes, knowing Chloe referenced to when she suggested the same stealth motive back in India but instead, Nadine took both guys out on her own. She wouldn’t this time so she could give the girl a chance.

They moved quietly at the same time, behind the two men that walked the opposite way. Nadine went ahead to put the soldier in a choke hold then snapped his neck. She looked over to her partner who had her guy in a choke hold, using her other hand to cover his mouth. Nadine lifted her head up just a nod, letting Chloe know to move backwards. So she did. She dragged him slowly as Nadine followed, taking out her combat knife to intimidate the scientist.

“See this woman?” Chloe whispered to the man, teasing him. “I know she seems frightening but she has a good side. If you want her to stay that way, I suggest you cooperate.”

Nadine opened a door that led them into a janitor’s closet. The lights flickered on and the door locked. The man in the lab coat was going to shit his pants the closer his former boss was to him. She squatted down so they reached eye level, observing the frightened look in his eyes.

“I’m going to make this short and simple,” she informed, twirling the knife with her finger on the tip. “Orca’s dead, along with most of Shoreline. So who ran this when he was gone?” The man didn’t say a word because Chloe’s hand still covered his mouth. She quickly removed it, instead placing her hand at the opposite side of his head, readied to snap his neck on Nadine’s orders. “Gonna speak…” she looked at the name-tag, “Lee?”

“Um… I don’t know. There aren’t t-that many of us left.”

“Answer the question, dipshit.” Chloe chimed in.

“Okay okay!” he cried out. “When Orca took over, he left another man in charge… his lieutenant, Jacob…”

“Hm… and where is this  _ Jacob _ ?”

“He’s usually in the control room. Orca wanted the brains in charge when he was gone.”

Nadine stood up, creating a rapid heartbeat in the man until she put her knife away. Then she looked over to Chloe to give her a signal. Chloe understood then went to headbutt the man with the end of her gun, knocking him unconscious. “Alright, this is what we’re doing. I’m going to find the control room and I’ll need you to turn the power off. The emergency lights will turn on, giving us an advantage to kill the rest of these guys without being in the open.”

“We’re splitting up?!” Chloe quietly exclaimed. “Are you insane?!”

“You made it to the Pink Lotus fine, right? You’re a thief. Use that skill set.”

“You’re an ass, you know that?”

“Sorry, just have a lot on my mind to worry about offending you.” Nadine switched to her semi automatic rifle with a suppressor attached. She was ready to head out the door when--

“Wait a second,” Chloe grabbed Nadine’s arm just in time. “Nadine, why are you acting so cold towards me? I was honest with you back there.”

Nadine stood still for a second, thinking about earlier.  _ It was not just that Chloe _ , she thought. It hurt her to act this way but she was upset and furious at the same time which was not a good combination. Her blood boiled when it came to Shoreline and her heart broke every time she looked Chloe in the eye. “Just find the power switch. There’ll be a map by the stairs of the basement floor.” She walked out of the door, leaving Chloe whose feelings were wounded.

They walked down the stairs together, both checking each side of the hallway before continuing on. Before they parted, Chloe mumbled, “Be careful, Nadine” but all her partner could do was nod. They never made eye contact.

Chloe brushed off the pain in her chest as she made her way to the staircase doors. Before she reached them, she saw one man come out the end of the hallway but she quickly hid herself. Thankfully, he didn’t see her. Chloe continued creeping up to follow the soldier who walked across to the other side, making sure no one else was around. A couple of boxes gave her cover as she aimed her gun at the man’s head then  _ pop _ . He was dead. She quickly slid over to hide his body in a storage closet that she found nearby.

Now she was good to go. She found the door to the staircases and headed to the basement, moving carefully with her gun drawn. Another man opened the basement door then in quick seconds with Chloe’s fast reflexes, she shoots him dead.

“Holy fuck this is scary,” Chloe panted, pressing on her chest from the rapid heartbeat. She continued on through the door and found the map that Nadine told her about. It was locked in a glass case for whatever reason so Chloe took a minute to really observe the layout of the basement to find where the power switch was. Eventually, she took off to the right direction where it said the power room would be around the corner but then immediately forgot; she went back to look at the map. The hall seemed empty and she needed that map but she couldn’t access it without the key so she did what thief’s did best: pick the lock. After a few tries, she managed to get it open. The power room was around the corner on the left side of the hallway, she observed. 

Chloe took a deep breath and aimed her gun in front of her as she slowly crept to her destination. Just one more turn until she was at the door. Thankfully, she hadn’t run into any other soldiers. When she made it to the room, she carefully cracked the door open before she heard voices inside so she quickly backed out. She panted, her heart racing once again. She felt this job was a lot more difficult than when she played as double agent with Lazarevic, Flynn, and Nate. It was way too tense for Chloe. Oh how she couldn’t wait to tell Elena all about it; that’d be the first she’d do if she made it out alive.

“Frazer,” Nadine radioed, her voice breaking Chloe’s eardrum.

“Yes, Nadine?” she replied as she lowered the volume on the radio.

“Are you there yet?”

“I’m outside the door but there’s people inside.”

“Are they soldiers or maintenance?”

“Oh, let me just casually open the door and ask their position here--sorry I didn’t have time to take a look!”

“Just get rid of them.”

“Ugh. You owe me dinner for this.”

Nadine didn’t respond. Chloe was now irritated by how weird she acted. This was not the Nadine she knew in India, since she expected a smart remark back.  _ Something’s changed.  _ Chloe put her ear against the door, listening and counting the voices she heard. There was only two, maybe three? She took a deep breath, preparing for this moment she tried to avoid, especially by herself. She counted to five before opening the door and---


	6. End of an Era

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooo sorry for taking so long. It took forever to write because I had no idea how to write this chapter, also being busy on top of that. But I hope you all enjoy it! Please, let me know how you feel about it <3

Only five men. Five men she had taken down on the way to the control room. Where the fuck was everyone at? Or was it literally a handful of men left? Nadine made her way around vacant halls, checking every possible room open to the public: the dining hall, the armory, the communications room… all empty. But there was one room that she hadn’t checked yet. Instead of going to the control room as was planned, she turned the opposite direction to her office. A place she completely forgot about.

Nadine walked the route she remembered, judging the uncleanliness of her men as she strolled through the halls, knowing she had already cleared the area. Papers, beer cans, open MRE bags, and a lot more objects were thrown everywhere but what she couldn’t stand the most, was the stench. It was a mixture of dirty socks and sweat stained t-shirts. The lingering smell of cigarettes was what bothered her out of everything so far. Nadine wasn’t a smoker and surely did not enjoy the smell of it, so she was ready to burn the place to ashes. It had been eight months since the events of Libertalia so it was shocking to see the carelessness of her soldiers--her army; the men she truly cared for. When Nadine was in command, everything had been nice and tidy since she was a perfectionist. She was strict about keeping things in order but from time to time, also showing some leniency when things went left. Her and her men kept good relationships but she knew not to get too close as there was a price for joining a militia: possible death. If she had known they would betray her, she wouldn’t have been so considerate of them. Her body fumed at the thought. After everything she did for them: providing good food, a comfortable living space, maintaining healthy relationships, being  _ fun _ . All to make sure her men didn’t feel like they signed up for prison.  _ End them _ .

Bloodlust thoughts erased before Nadine had a turning point for revenge. This wasn’t her. This wasn’t the same Nadine even after Liberatalia. That Nadine drank away her disastrous life, not letting thoughts of rampage consume her, but there were too many emotions swirling in her head to consider being remorseful of who she’s killed. Mixtures of boiling blood and a broken heart never mix. It was a recipe for disaster.

Nadine didn’t realize she was standing outside the door of her office, hesitant to go in. She slowly crept in, quickly checking the corners and behind her desk, making sure no one was sitting in the chair. When the room was cleared, she searched the many documents and emails lying on the desk, back facing the doorway. Then she searched the computer to check if Shoreline had done anything out of Nadine’s preferences. The arms deal between them and Asav  was the last major job according to the records but there were at least two more that Orca had arranged ahead of time. Apparently, Shoreline had been in the process of upgrading their weapons and vehicles and Orca wanted to buy fighter jets since he already created missiles.

She continued to search the computer for information until she realized she got sidetracked. Her goal was the control room, not this. There was nothing to do with this; Orca was dead, Shoreline was done. She just needed to meet the brains of the operation, kill him, then shut this building down, nothing more. But the power was still on. Chloe was still down there. Nadine pressed her finger to her ear piece and used the radio, “Frazer.”

Chloe took a second to respond, “Yes, Nadine?”

“Are you there yet?”

“I’m outside the door but there’s people inside.”

“Are they soldiers or maintenance?”

“Oh, let me just casually open the door and ask their position here--sorry I didn’t have time to take a look!”

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Just get rid of them.”

“Ugh. You owe me dinner for this.”

Nadine didn’t respond. Instead, she ignored the woman’s response and continued to the control room. Usually, she’d respond with a smart remark but this time, it hit a nerve. A nerve Nadine did not like. This wasn’t like before when she’d just pretend to be annoyed but secretly enjoyed it. She found it unbelievable that Chloe had no idea what her actions caused. The times where they would gaze into each other’s eyes for longer than ten seconds, when Chloe would put her hand on Nadine’s, the clues she thought meant mutual feelings… it was all meaningless.

The glass walls made it easy for Nadine to observe inside the room, making sure there weren’t soldiers inside. She just needed to meet one person, but no one was inside. How strange. Nadine was sure there had been more than ten or so men her and Chloe encountered. Where was this Jacob? Nadine went straight to the computers, switching to the cameras inside the building, wondering if she’d see anyone that looked unfamiliar. She used a button to switch from camera to camera on each floor but stopped once she noticed the door to the electricity room, where the power switch was; and there was Chloe who stood outside the door, counting her breaths before going in. Nadine quickly switched the cameras to see inside the room, watching as Chloe luckily made it in without being seen. There were three soldiers in there. One of them attempted to fix a power box and the other two stood beside him watching. Nadine hoped that Chloe would handle this the quiet way. Depending if she was a good shot, she would be able to take down three of them with just her silenced pistol but it wasn’t worth the risk. Using the rifle wouldn’t have been a good idea either because the base was small and they were guaranteed to be heard if Chloe let loose on them. It would’ve been easier if the power switch wasn’t next to them.

“Come on Chloe,” Nadine murmured to herself. “You can do this.” She had no idea how Chloe was gonna take down those men. In a way, she had the urge to run down there and help her but she couldn’t take her eyes off the screen. Chloe had her gun aimed towards the ceiling across the room to what looked like the fire sprinklers.

She was definitely improvising. 

Nadine prepared herself to go and save Chloe before she got herself killed but then she saw that Chloe had shot at the fire sprinkler, letting the water cause a distraction as she removed the pin from a smoke grenade. Nadine could no longer see what was happening inside the room so she panicked as she tried to find a different camera angle. Sadly, it was only that one.

In quick seconds, the smoke started to clear, only leaving two soldiers left. Chloe had taken down one of them that came close to her and hid his body behind the staircase.

_ That’s my girl. _ Nadine watched intensely, rooting for Chloe to finish off those two that were left. Her heart jumped but eased whenever Chloe had found somewhere to hide herself before making a move. She hid behind a group of electric switchboards, unclear of what direction to go due to the lingering smoke. One of the soldiers walked around the corner of the switchboards and being in the camera’s view, Nadine saw that he was going to spot Chloe any second. But Chloe quickly spotted him and shot him down with her silencer. Now there was only one guy left but Nadine couldn’t see anyone else in the camera. She saw Chloe quickly reloading her gun before walking around the switchboards to get to the power switch. But where was the third guy? Nadine’s heart raced knowing Chloe wasn’t aware of that so she tried to reach her through the radio to inform her but it was all static.  _ Fuck _ . Chloe was already at the power switch, picking the lock that prevented people from using the switch. Once she got it unlocked, a soldier that was assumed to be the last guy, came up behind her, putting her in a chokehold. Nadine panicked but and tried to reach Chloe but she froze when a bullet went through the screen.

“Could’ve just knocked on the front door,” a man’s voice appeared behind her. He had an American accent. Nadine was confused but turned around with her hands up beside her head. The man stood in the doorway, his blue eyes visible in the dark and when he stepped closer towards the light, Nadine caught the full figure: tall, fit, blonde scruffy hair. He wore a black blazer that was rolled up halfway with a grey undershirt and matching slacks. He had a familiar presence with an intimidating look in his face. She assumed he was Jacob. “I would’ve let you in, darling.”

“I liked my way better.”

“Well,” he chuckled, “if you really came all this way to talk to me, your men didn’t have to die for it.”

“They made their choice the second they betrayed me.”

He came closer to Nadine, letting them make eye contact. “Orca told me you’ve always been an emotional leader. Truly admirable how you cared for your men. Sadly, they didn’t care about you though.”

“Too bad there aren’t many of you left. Orca’s dead.”

“We were in the midst of recruiting, actually. I handled that while Orca was out making deals and giving us more to work with. See, we decided it’d be best if Shoreline expanded more. Upgrading the weaponry, the vehicles, the base, our location… but when you lead, Shoreline was  _ desperate _ for money, taking any job possible. But if you had just been patient, the money would’ve come to you.” Jacob came close and stood a few inches from Nadine, revealing his name tag and Nadine couldn’t believe it.

“Adler…” she read. He was Rafe’s brother… Jacob Adler.

“Yes, sweetheart?” He winked. “Figured it out?” 

“You bought Shoreline.”

“Bingo.”  Suddenly, the power shut off then the emergency lights turned on. Nadine couldn’t help but show a little smirk for Chloe somehow managing to shut off the power. She knew she could do it. Jacob on the other hand, was confused but stayed calm. He was still inches close to Nadine, almost as if his enticing smile was preventing her from looking away. “Shame he’s gone though. The three of us could’ve been…” he leaned in closer to Nadine, his thumb caressing her cheek, “great  _ partners _ .”

“Should’ve seen his face when I left him to die.” Nadine watched his cocky smile turn around before she buttheaded him. He fell back but stood himself up to aim his gun but Nadine quickly blocked it out of the way then continued to throw punches. Jacob had only gotten a few hits in Nadine but she dodged most of his hits. Damn her skills. Jacob was only a businessman. He wasn’t a skilled martial artist like Nadine so without a gun, he was just brains. But surely, he was capable of throwing a few punches at Nadine. To her, this wasn’t a problem as he fought just like Nate and Sam: a brawler. 

Nadine got her advantage after a good block and grabbed him by the shoulders to knee him in his lower abdomen multiple times then threw him against the main computers Nadine was using before. But before she could finish him off, the door flung open and there came Chloe with her gun aimed towards Jacob, blood splattered across her vest. Her smile grew seeing her partner standing there unharmed, but she was immediately taken into a chokehold, feeling the barrel of his pistol against her temple. “The hell took you so long.”

“Brought you a gift, love.”

“Put that gun down or I blow her brains all over this floor,” Jacob threatened.

“Now that’s really explicit, don’t you think?” Chloe said. “Whatever happened to being polite around here.”

“That wouldn’t be fair, would it? Since you two came in unannounced and killed all of my men.”

“Unannounced? Oh sure, my apologies for not making an appointment beforehand.”

“Just put the fucking gun down!” Jacob’s finger was close to pulling the trigger. “Don’t want to see your partner die right in front of your eyes, do you?”

“Okay okay.” Chloe slowly knelt down to put her gun on the floor. “Please don’t hurt her.” Nadine was surprised that Chloe didn’t immediately talk her way out of this. Instead, she pleaded; she could see the pain in her partner’s eyes.

“Kick it over there.”

She did what was told and kicked it over but her hands went behind her back instead of holding it up beside her head. Nadine found it suspicious and hoped Jacob didn’t notice, but also saw that Chloe was trying to get her attention because her eyes continuously went from hers to computers behind them. She tried to decipher what the hell Chloe was doing with her eyes until she realized Chloe had her hands behind her for a reason. With one click, the wall behind them exploded, sending Jacob and Nadine forward by a few feet. Nadine quickly rose to her feet as Jacob crawled to his gun. Chloe went to get hers before Jacob could reach his but once the man got ahold of his gun, he aimed it towards Chloe instead but Nadine with fast reflexes, shoved and covered Chloe once Jacob released a few bullets towards them. Then Chloe immediately turned around to shoot at Jacob, ending him for good. She got up and walked over to him, making sure he was dead. Nadine was still on the floor, unable to move. She was coughing.

Chloe immediately ran over to Nadine, flipping her on her back and saw blood on her shirt so she lifted it, revealing a wound in Nadine’s lower abdomen. Her heart shattered to pieces and she panicked; she needed to get Nadine to a hospital. “Nadine, can you get up? We need to get to a hospital.”

“Ye-yeah… I can try,” Nadine tried to make out. Chloe helped her attempt to stand on her legs but immediately fell to her knees. “I can’t stand, Chloe.” Her eyes were slowly closing and her words slurred. Nadine believed it was going to be the end for her and that freaked Chloe out even more so she cupped Nadine’s face in her hands and tried to keep her awake.

“China, come on please?” Chloe begged.. “Stay awake for me. I need you with me.” Nadine tried her best to keep her eyes from closing. She nodded at Chloe’s plead as she tried to lift herself up, using a nearby desk to help her stand.

They heard a few soldiers outside in the hall so Chloe went ahead to take her rifle and finish them off. After the first magazine finished, Chloe reloaded as she went back inside, letting her partner know it was clear to go. The front door was just across a bridge but they needed to make sure there weren’t any more soldiers to get in the way. Nadine used the half wall to hold herself up and Chloe used all her strength to let Nadine put her weight on her, but after a few steps, she dropped to the floor again.

“God dammit, China,” she shouted as she shot one soldier coming down the stairway.

“Just go get the truck, I’ll crawl to the front,” Nadine made out, grunting at the pain.

“I’m not leaving you here to fight off the rest of these guys.”

“Jacob… he said all his men were killed. There has to be only a few left. I got this. GO.”

Chloe hesitated but Nadine was the strongest person she knew. She definitely had this whether Chloe believed her or not. With the strongest urge to just carry Nadine to the truck, she realized it would be better to just drive it to the front so Nadine wasn’t losing more blood walking to it. So she ran as fast as she could to the truck then sped her way to the front doors. Nadine was still lying down, one bloody hand covering her wound, the other on her handgun. Chloe ran up to her, making sure no one was left then quickly held her up and brought her to the car. After she carefully strapped Nadine in, she hopped into the driver’s seat and used her GPS to find the nearest hospital in Worcester.

When Nadine said that she’d be able to drive back, she did not mean it like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter feels a little short. I'm just so glad this chapter's finished. I really wanted to get this over with because now I can write the cute fluffy stuff :)
> 
> Also notice when and how Nadine refers to Chloe. It's always "Frazer" when she was upset and serious about taking Shoreline down but says "Chloe" when she watched her take those 3 guys down, fearing for Chloe's life and after she got shot, thinking she was going to die. Idk, I feel it's significant how Nadine refers to Chloe in game in certain situations.


	7. Damn It, Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely loved this chapter. Hence why it took me a very short amount of time to write this. I figured I'd write a soft one after all the tense Shoreline stuff. Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> p.s. There's also a reason why it's named "Damn It, Chloe."

It was like time stopped for good when she saw the bullet wound in her partner’s abdomen. Never had she felt like her life was falling apart until that very moment she flipped Nadine over. Why? Why did she take the bullet? Why couldn’t it have been her instead? Chloe felt she deserved it despite not knowing what she did to make Nadine turn cold towards her. All she knew was that she was possibly losing someone she cared deeply about. She remembered seeing Nadine’s face losing color as she was being wheeled past the hospital doors that Chloe couldn’t enter. So she was forced to wait in the waiting room.

It had been an hour since Nadine was brought in. Chloe sat in one of the chairs, elbows on her knees and face cupped in her hands. Her face was pale but her eyes were bloodshot from crying. Her hair was taken out of the cap, still in a ponytail and there was still blood stains on her shirt even when she took off her vest. Half of it was Nadine’s and the other half was the last man she killed. But the image of Nadine in her own pool of blood couldn’t leave her mind. That was something she never wanted to see again but she knew it wouldn’t erase just yet. She  _ had _ to know if Nadine was going to be okay. With every waiting second, she couldn’t stop thinking that the longer it took, the more they were trying to save Nadine because she was dying. It broke her heart and the tears wanted to flow again but she tried her best to hold it in.

“Jesus, you look like shit,” a familiar voice appeared. Chloe looked up and she couldn’t believe who was standing in front of her.

“Oh my god, Sam,” she cried. Literally, as she went in for a hug.

“Are you alright?” Sam returned the action and held her tightly.

“No, I’m miserable,” Chloe replied, her voice muffled into Sam’s chest. When he realized her body shook from sobbing, he gripped her tightly and rubbed her back, letting her continue in comfort. “How the hell are you here right now?”

“Elena.”

“Ah, figures.” She pulled back with a sniff and wiped her wet face with a part of her shirt that wasn’t covered in blood. “How did you find me?”

“You don’t remember calling her? She’s the one who let me know where you guys were.”

Chloe checked her phone to see her recent phone calls and Sam was right. An hour ago, she had called her, right after Nadine went in for surgery. Something she always did after something  _ big _ happened, whether it was exciting or traumatizing. She must’ve forgot she did so. The images of Nadine was all that clouded her mind for the past hour.

Sam brought her back to the chair she was sitting in then went to find something for Chloe to eat and drink. He wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting there without any food but the look on her face said that it’d been awhile. After taking ten minutes to find a vending machine, he came back with a few bags of chips and a coke for Chloe. For the remaining time until someone came to inform them on Nadine, Chloe told Sam about what happened at Shoreline but couldn’t tell the whole thing because she wasn’t sure what Nadine and Jacob discussed. She barged in once she saw them fight, but she was most triumphant about how she took down the men in the electrical room. Something about taking down the last man shook her, but that part she didn’t describe to him. Sam eventually brought up Elena’s baby shower but Chloe’s heart ached at the thought of it… she was going to ask Nadine to come with her. Her eyes started to tear up for the tenth time today thinking about it but she quickly wiped it away when she spotted a surgeon walking towards them.

“Are you Chloe Frazer?” the man asked.

“Yes,” she responded. “Is Nadine okay?”

“She’s lost quite a bit of blood but she should be okay.” Those words were all she needed to calm Chloe’s heart. Now she could rest peacefully. “She’s lucky it didn’t hit an artery.”

“Can I see her?” Chloe was impatient now.

“Yes, but she’s still under anesthesia so it’ll be awhile until she wakes up. You are welcome to stay in there by all means.”

There was no amount of words to express how relieved Chloe felt. She was in a hurry to see her partner. “Thank you.” She shook the surgeon’s hand then turned to Sam with a huge smile on her face. Sam’s face lit up at the sight of it, also hearing the good news as well.

“You go ahead, I’ll be right here.”

Chloe nodded at him then went to find Nadine in the recovery room. She eventually found the one Nadine was in and quietly pulled a chair up to the sleeping woman. The sound of her monitored heartbeat and gentle breathing was heaven to Chloe. Knowing that her partner would be okay was something she was truly grateful for. They both were lucky. 

_______

 

“Chloe?” Nadine woke, her voice soft and gentle. Chloe had fallen asleep with her head rested on the side of the bed, next to Nadine’s leg, her hand was also held by Chloe’s grasp. But Chloe lifted her head up quickly at the sound of her partner’s voice.

“Hey, love,” she yawned. Nadine noticed her eyes were puffy and red from what seemed like crying for a long time. “How are you feeling?”

“Is the bullet out?”

“Yes, it’s out. You lost a shit ton of blood though but you’re doing good.” Chloe removed her hand from Nadine and went to sit beside her on the bed, her other hand placed on the other side of Nadine so she was slightly leaning into her. It was astonishing how Nadine was so calm, like she was used to this. “I’m assuming this isn’t the first time you’ve been shot.”

“I’ve had a few grazes, nothing major.” Nadine smirked, letting out a giggle from Chloe.

“This was definitely major, Nadine. Why the hell did you do that?”

“Because you would’ve been in the same spot I’m in right now. Or even worse--dead. I don’t think I could live with that.”

Chloe gave a warm, appreciating smile. Nadine truly cared for her. “Well, I am eternally grateful for you. But don’t ever do that again, okay? You can’t die on me China.”

Nadine chuckled, “I’d rather it be me than you.”

“You’re really stubborn, you know that? And really irritating.” They both laughed with each other and for what felt like a long time for Chloe, it felt as if they were back to normal. As if Nadine didn’t act strange towards her before; and they both enjoyed it. Of course, Nadine remembered their little fight and how upset it made her that Chloe thought their kiss was just a dream, but a cheat code for death was all it took for her to forgive, sadly. She decided to face it than just bottle up her regret.

“Listen, Chloe,” she started, “for how I acted towards you back there…”

“Don’t sweat it. All that matters is that you’re not dead and that I don’t have a funeral to attend. It’s all good, China.”

Nadine smiled, “Alright.”

After a few moments of silence, Chloe shifted her position to lay down beside Nadine on the bed, carefully avoiding the stitched wound. Nadine comfortably pulled Chloe closer to her, letting her head rest on her chest. They both felt strange for sharing such close comfort together but in a way, it felt natural. Chloe didn’t give it a thought to cuddle against Nadine either and Nadine reacted naturally without question. Who knew how long until she was able to be released but she was fine staying in this position with Chloe until then.

“Also, Sam’s outside.”

Nadine’s head shot up. “What the fuck, how?”

___________________

 

After waiting two hours in the recovery room and a small,  _ friendly _ interaction with Sam, Nadine was finally released. By that time, it was already nine in the morning. Chloe drove back to Nadine’s and while she helped bring their things back into the house, Sam stayed outside admiring the front with his mouth agape. Chloe offered for Nadine to take her room back instead of sleeping on the couch but she insisted she was fine, because well, she actually was fine. Nadine walked slow but normal, as if she only had a backache, not a gunshot wound in her stomach. After a few minutes long debate about it, Chloe gave up on Nadine’s stubbornness. She always treated Chloe to the better comfort of beds when they came back from India but Chloe just wanted to return the hospitality even though it wasn’t her home. So instead, she took pillows from her bed and brought it to the couch to give Nadine more comfort for when she goes to sleep. Nadine didn’t think it was necessary but still appreciated the effort Chloe put into making sure she was comfortable.

Sam stood in the hallway of the kitchen and reading area, turning every direction to be in awe of the house. It was like he seen another uncharted territory. Nadine rolled her eyes but couldn’t contain her laugh at him. She waited for a smart comment from him, watching his ridiculousness from the living room but didn’t say a word so Nadine went ahead.

“Is it so surprising that this is my house? Eish, you  _ and _ Chloe.”

“I mean, I pictured you for a small condo… with a cat.”

“Seriously?” She remembered Chloe saying the same thing, but without the cat part. Sam shrugged then continued outside to view the scenery then dipped his hand in the pool.

“Are you going to be alright, Nadine?” Chloe asked, returning with a plush blanket and a pillow. She assumed Chloe was staying out here with her.

“What, are you staying out here?”

“If you don’t mind,” Chloe replied, placing it on the other sofa.

“I mean, sure, but I can take care of myself.”

“Didn’t think you couldn’t. Plus, it’s lonely over there on the other side.” She was referring to Nadine’s bedroom that was on the other side of the house. The living room was in the back so they had been pretty far apart. Was Chloe in dying need of Nadine’s company? 

Sam entered the room, thus ending his tour of the house, “So, I think I’ll head downtown. Is there anything I can get you two?”

“Oh good idea,” she said, standing up to hand him a piece of paper. “Can you get them?”

Sam took a second to read what was on the paper then nodded. Nadine wondered what the hell it was that Sam quickly agreed to get. Once Sam left, Chloe and Nadine relaxed on the couch watching animal documentaries while Nadine told interesting facts about almost every single animal that appeared on the screen. Chloe was fascinated yet surprised at how much Nadine knew about giraffes, lions, lemurs, etc. She felt Nadine’s love for animals when she asked which were her favorites and that gave her something to wonder.

She lowered the volume of the TV to ask, “Was there anything you wanted to do? Before Shoreline? Like a different career path before being sucked into your father’s business.”

Nadine took a minute to think, “Not really. I’ve never really thought about other professions. I mean, I grew up in the military. He showed me everything there was to know so I knew what I was doing when it was my turn to takeover.”

“I think you’d be a great Zoologist.”

Nadine wasn’t sure she heard her correctly, “A what?”

“A Zoologist. I could see you be the next Steve Irwin.”

Nadine let out a laugh in disbelief but when she thought about it, it didn’t seem that bad at all. She did love animals and was truly passionate about them. If she didn’t go off into the treasure hunting business or lead Shoreline, maybe Zoology would’ve been a good occupation; or Marine Biology. Nadine loved and missed everything about the aquatics. Before Shoreline became her life, she’d go swimming with Dolphins or try out the shark cage. Maybe her and Chloe could try it one day. If Chloe was willing to do it.

“I’m shocked you don’t have a pet here either,” Chloe said, disrupting her thoughts. “All this animal talk and I don’t see one in this house.”

“I actually do. It’s a cat and it’s residing at my mother’s--” Nadine paused at the word  _ mother _ once she realized something. “Shit, she doesn’t even know what happened, does she?”

“I wanted to call your mum when I was in the waiting room but I had no idea how to contact her. You should talk to her.”

Nadine thought about it but after a second, she shook her head. “Eh, I’ll talk to her about it soon. I don’t want to hear her yell at me for being heroic right now.”

“Stupidly heroic,” Chloe added. Nadine lightly punched her arm, annoyed with her partner’s smart comments. She definitely did not regret doing what she did. If it was Chloe that was shot, she wouldn’t know what to do. She’d freeze up, panicking too much internally that she’d forget to take Chloe to the hospital. And if she was dead, her soul would’ve left with her.

Chloe’s shift in position brought Nadine back to reality. The touch of Chloe’s skin against hers sent her little arm hairs affright and one look over to her partner sent her heart racing. She wanted to kiss her again but she knew it would’ve been a bad idea. Chloe was in her own world, scrolling through Netflix to find a good show to watch, but Nadine was immersed in her thoughts about that woman. With every urge to lean into her, she reminded herself that Chloe didn’t feel the same. More so, she didn’t know they actually kissed and she didn’t know how to deal with that fact. But then she remembered the question Chloe asked before they locked lips and decided to answer it just so that distant memory could possibly be revived.

“We could visit Ireland, or Alaska, or the States,” Nadine spoke, knowing Chloe would be confused. She wouldn’t have remembered that conversation.

“What?” Chloe replied as she turned to face her. Her voice sounded innocent and pure, and wasn’t the usual low tone she was used to hearing. Nadine didn’t realize it would have an effect on her, but she was hurting herself knowing the conversation to come.

“You suggested we go on a vacation before another hunt. Are you still up for that?”

Chloe was confused, but it took a minute to gather and remember that piece of information. And when she did, she froze, sending Nadine an anxiety attack. “Wait…” Nadine was nervous. “That happened in my dream last night. And I suggested all those places. H… how do you know that?” Nadine stayed silent, letting Chloe figure it all out. “Wait so that means I wasn’t actually dreaming… and then the kiss that happened between us was--- oh my god.” Chloe gasped and scooted herself away from Nadine by a few inches. Nadine squeezed her eyes shut in despair, not wanting to see the reaction in Chloe once she figured it out. This was the part she wanted to avoid, but it was going to happen sooner or later. She’d rather it be now.

Chloe then stood, trying to decipher the memories of the other night. In a way that the memory lingered in the back of her head, she thought it to actually happen but couldn’t bring herself to admit it. The more her feelings developed for the other woman, the more she couldn’t handle it, but it was a constant battle in her head between what was real and what wasn’t. She wanted to shut down and lock herself away, far from Nadine’s grasp because truly, those annoying feelings that continuously returned to her, were definitely  _ real _ ; and Chloe Frazer was scared. She desperately needed another liquor bottle to drown--and oh… the liquor. The damned thing that caused it all. It made Chloe believe it wasn’t real. Maybe if there wasn’t any alcohol to drink, she could’ve handled it like an adult, but she chose to drown her feelings in it, and this was what she got. Now she knew what she did to upset Nadine earlier and she didn’t have to wonder if she felt the same way because she remembered that it was Nadine who initiated the kiss. Damn her boldness. But now it was too late to hope for reciprocation because she blew all chances of it. God, why was Chloe such a dumbass?

She realized she was silent for far too long. Nadine had the look of disappointment on her face that shot a bullet through Chloe’s heart so she tried to talk about it, although she wasn’t good at this sort of thing. She went to sit back on the couch next to her partner.

“I know you probably hate me right now…” Chloe admitted. “You should.”

Nadine looked at her for what felt like an eternity. The hurt in her eyes was too much for Chloe to bear. “It’s alright, Chloe. I’m not upset with you anymore. I understand.”

What was there to understand? That Chloe didn’t return the feelings? Because it wasn’t true! Chloe panicked internally but no words came out of her mouth. The doorbell rang just in time to save Chloe from the disastrous mess she made, so she went to answer it without hesitation. There was Sam, with a pack of beer in one hand and Chloe’s groceries in the other. She went ahead and brought only the grocery bags to the kitchen and began creating something with what was inside. When Chloe started cooking, Nadine went out to stand in the back patio, taking in the morning breeze. Sam joined her with his pack of beer at the side and offered her one. Nadine took it and thanked him.

“Did anything happen?” he asked abruptly. Nadine knew exactly what he was talking about because how could he have known what had just happened? He wasn’t there. He meant his speculations about her and Chloe.

“We kissed.”

Sam looked over to her, shocked at the response, “Wow… how did that go?”

“If you had just arrived here ten minutes ago, you’d know.”

“Jesus. That bad?” He took out a cigarette but asked Nadine for permission before lighting it up. She somehow agreed.

“She was drunk when it happened so part of me feels guilty for kissing her like that.”

“You love her?”

Nadine turned to him quickly, dumbfounded by such a blunt question. Did she really love Chloe? There was no doubt in her mind about it. “Ja… I mean, maybe--I could. But it doesn’t matter at this point. We didn’t talk that deep into it so I’m guessing she doesn’t feel the same. Just gotta forgive and move on, right?”

“Or both of you could just talk about how you feel,” Sam suggested. They both knew he wasn’t the right person to agree with in that statement because he lied to Nate about how he got out of prison. He also wasn’t one to go to for romantic advice but after witnessing the argument with Nate and Elena back in that hotel room, he knew that it was best two people communicate. And that was all Chloe and Nadine needed to do. But what stopped them from doing so?

“You know, I never got to apologize for uh… almost blowing your brains out.”

Nadine remembered that day, watching a clusterfuck happen between him, Nathan, and Rafe. Although it was amusing, she was agitated, ready to get this done and over with. But she couldn’t help but laugh about it. “Didn’t think you had it in you, Drake.”

“Yeah, well… it was either kill or be killed. That’s beside the point though. All I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry. If I’d known you’d leave Rafe like that…”

“Trust me, if the roles were switched, I’d do the same thing. Don’t sweat it, alright?”

Sam took that as forgiveness. This interaction between them felt like a huge weight off  _ both _ of their chests. Who would’ve thought that Sam and Nadine would finally get along?

“So uh… know any good hotels around here?” Sam asked, avoiding the awkward.

“You can stay here, Sam.” He was appalled. It was the first time that Nadine referred to Sam by his first name. It was always  _ Drake _ . Was it a sign of respect? Or just being friendly? “But don’t think for one that you’re on my good side. You’re just as annoying,” she said with a smirk so Sam knew she wasn’t all too serious. This was going to take some time getting used to.

Chloe had finished making chicken soup, a recipe she remembered from when her mother would make her something to eat when she was sick. Nadine wasn’t ill but she was still recovering from her bullet wound and she would do anything to take care of Nadine, possibly to make up for all the chaos she’s caused. They all sat on the barstools of the island and ate. Sam was the one who started most of the conversations but both women continued talking to each other as if nothing bad happened. As Nadine ate, Chloe found herself daydreaming about her, seeing how she could easily converse with her like Nadine’s heart wasn’t broken but she also could see the hurt in her eyes whenever they made eye contact. She admired how strong willed Nadine was, determined to fight through the hurt. Oh why couldn’t Nadine just say something so she didn’t have to? Confession was never Chloe’s favorite thing to do. 

Nothing related to feelings ever was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, honestly I hate that Chloe and Nadine did not have a deep conversation about what happened. But as you can see, communication is not something Chloe does well so she's definitely a nervous wreck. 
> 
> And poor Nadine whose so content with everything, just deals with a broken heart because she wants to keep the friendship she has with Chloe. And she really thinks Chloe doesn't feel the same way towards her because she didn't say anything about it. Yes, Chloe's an idiot but it'll improve.


	8. Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finallyyy an update! So so so sorry this took me so long to post. I've been busy but now that I'm home, I should be able to write more, but sometimes I get those days where I just can't write anything at all. It's been a hard few weeks to write this but I hope you all enjoy it! Things are finally picking up between these two.
> 
> p.s Don't be afraid to comment. I love and look forward to reading them :)

They had the rest of the day to do anything they wanted so Nadine went back to Shoreline’s headquarters despite Chloe’s plead to not go back. Chloe couldn’t step back in that place again; she’d be haunted by memories she did not want to remember. So Nadine and Sam went by themselves, observing the mess that was made. They removed all the dead bodies, then shortly afterwards, Nadine went to her office to see if there were any of her personal belongings left. Surprisingly, it was all still there. Nadine must’ve not noticed it there when she went in the other night because her primary focus was on what the hell Shoreline did when she was gone. There was a small giraffe statue that sat in the corner by her desk, next to a fake plant, and the picture frames that contained pictures of her family were still on her bookshelf; so were the books. Nothing in the office had seemed any different than when she was the lead, meaning neither Orca nor Jacob made themselves at home.

She sat in her chair, swinging side to side, thinking if she made the right decision to take down Shoreline for good. Now she had the chance to take it back, but she thought,  _ no _ ; she wanted that partnership with Chloe Frazer. Maybe not the type of partnership she created in her heart, but a friendship was better than anything and she was truly grateful for Chloe. Maybe day by day her heartache would cure, but her stomach churned knowing on the inside, she would never be able to get over this irresistible Aussie woman.

Nadine went to pack her personal belongings to distract herself from thinking too much, including all her medals and award certificates that hung on the walls. Sam helped her bring out the few boxes of her belongings to the truck but before they could lock up and leave, Nadine decided to tidy up the place. Sam wiped out the blood stains on the walls while Nadine swept and vacuumed broken glass. Then they moved to the control room, putting the toppled desks upright again and getting rid of the broken computers but left the dangling wires and the hole in the wall, alone. After they finished, Sam went on his cigarette break and Nadine stood in the doorway, keys in hand, readied to lock the doors but she needed to take one last look at the place before leaving it for good. Oh the memories… the preparations for jobs they take, spending time in the shooting range, taking the squadron to the local bar, etc, but also all the stress and frustration that came with it. 

She spent the past ten years there. Ten years of her life were dedicated to Shoreline. Then she began to think… did she really want that? Taking over her father’s business? But it wasn’t like she was forced to. He practically passed the “baton” over to her, but there was no doubt in her mind that she wondered what her life would be like if she chose another career path. Damn that Chloe for putting those wonders in her mind. When the thoughts finally disappeared, Nadine took one final look inside before turning off the lights and locking the door. There was a small ache in her heart due to the long attachment to Shoreline but she knew it had to happen. There was a new fun filled life with Chloe (and possibly Sam) waiting to happen  _ again _ ; Nadine was happy with that.

“I think you should tell Chloe how you feel,” Sam blurted, as they drove back home. Nadine gave him a “what the fuck?” look then rolled her eyes.

“I thought we were done discussing this.”

“I know but I couldn’t help but think about it. I mean, we’re not getting any younger here,” he chuckled. “I’m getting old, you’re getting old, Nate’s already married and starting a family and here we are, still digging for ancient shit that don’t even matter to people these days.”

“What are you getting at, Drake.”

“I’m just saying that… from witnessing a very awkward situation with Nate and his wife, communication should be top dog in relationships, aaand it wouldn’t be bad to settle.”

“You settling? That seems very odd.”

“I spent thirteen years in prison, Nadine. I better be sitting on mountains of gold before I have mini me’s running around. I was mostly talking about you.”

Nadine rolled her eyes once again. “I’m not settling and if you’re trying to get rid of me, nice try.”

“Settle the stuff with Chloe, I mean. If you talk to her today, I guarantee you guys will be getting it on by the end of the night.” He winked at her.

She wanted to punch him upside the head but too bad she was the one to drive. Why the hell was Sam pushing her to talk to Chloe? Nadine carefully took it into consideration though knowing she could solve it all by confessing to Chloe, but the lingering hurt she still felt kept tugging onto her heart strings. “It’s already too late.”

“Too late? That woman made fucking chicken soup for you! Coming from Chloe Frazer, tell me that’s not love.”

Sam may have been right. Ever since they returned home, Chloe had done nothing but make sure Nadine didn’t have to do much labor if it meant putting strain on her body. She was appreciative of everything Chloe had done for her, but she couldn’t help wonder why Chloe did all this for  _ her _ . She never saw her partner as the domestic type; not as a cooking type either but she did it anyways and it tasted good. So she wondered what the hell was up with her.

Nadine tried to avoid making conversation about Chloe the rest of the way home. When they finally arrived, Nadine went straight inside to find Chloe in the backyard, lying on a lounge chair in a bikini… tanning with Tame Impala playing on a speaker. She walked outside to her, purposely blocking the sunlight from hitting her partner. There was also a half empty glass of wine and a bottle beside it.

“Well about time you showed up,” Chloe lowered her shades to look up at her and Nadine felt butterflies all of a sudden. Chloe looking up at her like that sent “ _ things” _ racing through.

“What’s with you rummaging through my liquor cabinet? First the whiskey, now that?”

“I was bored. You guys took too long.” Chloe patted her hand on the lounge chair beside her. “Care to join? I’m dying need of your company.”

Nadine shrugged and couldn’t help but stare down Chloe’s perfect form now that she was standing over her. The white bikini she wore really brought out her skin and Nadine just wanted to rip it off her. If there was anything to settle, Nadine wanted to settle these feelings that made her feel guilty for wanting her in all ways possible. But before she could make it obvious that she was looking, she quickly sat on the lounge chair, a leg on each side.

“You were gone so long, I thought you and Sam both died from my soup,” Chloe laughed, being half serious about it. Nadine’s little giggle she made was adorable to Chloe’s ears.

“Hush up, your cooking is good. I don’t know why you’re being hard on yourself.”

“I haven’t cooked in ages. Plus, I’m not always in one area for long so a quick burger and fries will do me good.”

“Always moving around, huh?

“For a while, I’ve just been going solo so there was no need to find a house anywhere. I did stay in Melbourne, Australia for a while to see family, though.”

“I’ve only ever stayed in London. Besides that, it's always been South Africa.”

“Speaking of London,” Chloe adds, putting her shades back on her eyes, “your mother mentioned a woman you stayed longer for. What’s that all about?”

_ Eish _ , Nadine thought in her head. She leaned back into the chair with a big sigh, knowing conversations revolved around her romantic life would never end. But there was much thought to the question, Nadine didn’t know where to start. Chloe, on the other hand, was curious to hear the story but she felt a slight bit of jealousy when it came to thinking about Nadine with another person other than her. Damn it, Chloe. Who was she now, feeling all these strange ways.

“Ja, well, there’s not much to tell,” Nadine finally answered.

“Tell me anyways.”

“We met at a Lemur enclosure.” Nadine hesitated to continue until she heard Chloe giggle and it gave safe passage for her to keep going. “Then we toured the rest of the zoo together, competing for who knew more about the animals.”

“Typical.”

“Fokkoff. Anyway, we spent some time together after the zoo and eventually we-”

“Fucked?” Chloe interrupted with a smirk on her face.

“Became good friends,” Nadine corrected, “and ja, we had sex… once or twice, maybe more but that’s not the point. I really liked the girl but we had our time.”

“What happened?”

“I was a mercenary. I’ve killed people and she didn’t like that.” Nadine heard Chloe shift to face her. Now she could see all of her partner’s perfect curves and she couldn’t do anything but stare, but that was interrupted once Chloe grabbed her wine glass to pour more and offer to Nadine. Nadine took a sip from it. “I was actually considering leaving Shoreline behind for her."

Chloe almost choked on the wine when it was given back to her. At first she didn’t believe Nadine would do such a thing but it made sense why she did so with Chloe. Nadine had feelings for her at the time but never said a word. But that was it.  _ Had _ \--a heartbreaking but truthful word in the world of romance.

“Good thing I waited though,” Nadine continued. “It’s far more fun with you.”

The Aussie woman had the biggest smile on her face. For a second, that had brought her hopes back up to surface but she knew deep down Nadine didn’t mean it the way she hoped. Either way, it was a sentimental compliment from her partner and she couldn’t stop smiling so she lifted her glass in cheers. “Of course it is, love.” She then got up from her lounge chair to jump in the pool and when she came back up to the surface, she gestured for Nadine to join her.

“Come on, Ross!” Chloe shouted. “Join me!”

Nadine rolled her eyes but she knew she couldn’t resist. Despite the patch on her wound, she took off her shirt and pants, only leaving her sports bra and underwear on. Chloe had to turn away to refrain from staring at her partner’s beautifully sculpted abs and swam around instead. Nadine finally joined her in the pool and the two spent the next hour jumping off the diving board. Then when Sam joined with a few margaritas, they relaxed in the hot tub while listening to the sounds of music playing from the Cape Town nightlife. The not so tense conversations from Sam and Nadine really sparked interest in Chloe and she had to wonder how the hell those two made conversation without Nadine trying to kill Sam. What could those two have possibly talked about?

________

Over the next couple hours, the nightlife increased but the mosquitoes came out and it gave signal for the trio to head inside. Sam was already fast asleep on the couch due to having to leave in the morning to fly back to New Orleans. Chloe dressed in shorts and a tank top after a fresh shower then met Nadine in her bedroom who was opening the first aid kit to re-patch her wound. Instead of staring like her instincts make her, Chloe took the kit from Nadine and pushed her down onto the bed so she could sit while Chloe put a new bandage on for her. Nadine watched as she wiped down the wound with alcohol then used gauze and tape to bandage it up. Chloe tried not to notice the shape of all six of Nadine’s abs when she inhaled but it made her nervous to be this close to her body. Surprisingly, she kept her cool but the rest of her body was not. Everything from her head and down drove her nuts and she needed another shower to cool off the arousal she’d been feeling.

“Okay, all patched up,” Chloe said once she finished. She looked up to Nadine who stared into blank space, possibly drowned in her thoughts.

“Why are you doing this?”

She was confused; she didn’t expect to be given that question but maybe Nadine meant why she helped bandage her wound. “Looked like you were in a bit of a hassle.”

“I wasn’t,” Nadine smiled. It wasn’t like she cared much about it, she knew Chloe was up to something and wanted her to confess to it. “And the soup? Setting up my bed on the couch? Suggesting a vacation? What’s all that?”

Chloe sighed heavily knowing she had to tell the truth, “Just trying to stay on your good side.” She let out a fake laugh but Nadine wasn’t having it. She took a deep breath again. “I’ve just been trying to make it up to you… and I know I’m probably shit at it but you deserve far better. You took a bullet for me and I don’t know how to ever repay you.”

“Chloe, it’s okay. You don’t--”

Chloe put a finger up to Nadine’s lips, “No, let me finish. If I don’t say this now, I won’t say it ever.” Nadine gave a nod, letting Chloe proceed. “Truth is, I’m a shit person. I’m not good with people or with feelings and you truly deserve someone who won’t mess with your heart like I’ve done. The thing is, my last relationship was with Nathan and ever since, I’ve just been alone. A hookup here and there, nothing permanent. But ever since India and doing Shoreline with you, I kinda don’t want this to end… I like being around you. That’s why I brought up a trip in the first place.” Chloe realized she was in the most vulnerable state she’d ever been in; knelt down on the floor in front of Nadine who was just watching her unfold. She wanted to throw up in her mouth but she couldn’t deny that letting all of it out took a huge weight off her chest and she couldn’t have felt more proud of herself. When a smile flew across Nadine’s face, Chloe couldn’t help but give herself a thumbs up.

“You really are a selfish dickhead,” Nadine responded, “but you are you and I give you props for saying all that. Not bad, Frazer.”

Nadine grabbed Chloe so she could straddle her lap then wrapped her arms around her waist. Chloe leaned in closer to look her partner in the eyes, wrapping hers around Nadine’s neck; they were just inches from each other’s face. Chloe had the chance to lean in and kiss her but instead, she took that time to really admire the woman in front of her. Nadine Ross was a beautiful woman. Maybe a tad bit intimidating as a first impression but she was truly the best, according to Chloe. She loved their growing friendship, the way they cared for each other, the way they’d go to the extreme for each other. Every second into Nadine’s eyes, Chloe could feel her cheeks begin to burn. Whether it was from blushing or happy tears beginning to surface, Chloe absolutely adored this woman.

“Let’s go on a date,” she suggested, her voice higher and softer. Chloe didn’t even realize that came out of her mouth. It just… happened. Nadine was surprised as well. “Tomorrow, whaddaya say?”

Nadine scanned her eyes for a few quick seconds just to see if she was messing with her but she could see that the woman in front of her was serious. So she responded, “Ja, I’d like that. Where would we go?”

“Not sure, but I’ll get an idea.” She gave her partner a wink then leaned in closer to where her breast touched Nadine’s chest. “First, I want to kiss you.”

“Will you remember this time?” Nadine joked.

“Shut up.” She rolled her eyes as she closed the gap for a kiss. It started off nice and slow as they were both nervous but waiting for the other to lead. Chloe, being known for her dominance in the bedroom, made sure Nadine kept her hands on her ass as she seductively placed a finger on Nadine’s chest and pushed her to lay down. The kissing got rougher, more forceful with tongue and Nadine was going crazy. Her hands gripped tightly on her partner’s bottom, pushing Chloe down to grind on her. It was getting too much for Nadine. As much as she let Chloe be in control, she could not control herself. Her hands moved up and down the Aussie’s body, feeling under her shirt and right below her breast, but when she moved her hands back down, she slid underneath Chloe’s thong to feel the smooth skin and pull down her shorts. Chloe paused the kissing to grab Nadine’s hands before her shorts fell off and pin them above her head.

“Let’s make one thing clear, love,” Chloe demanded. “I’m top.”

“I’m stronger.”

“We’ll see about that.” She got off Nadine, leaving the other woman perplexed.

“The hell are you going?”

“Gotta cool off again,” Chloe answered, taking off her shorts in front of Nadine. “All this friction is making me  _ hot _ .”

Nadine shook her head at how unbelievable this woman was. “You’re such a tease.”

“That’s what makes me irresistible.” She winked as she left the room to shower again, letting Nadine replay the last image of Chloe in her mind over and over again. Did tonight really happen?  _ Holy goddamn shit, it did, and this time, she was sober. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I wanted to write a nice little love scene between the two but decided nah, they're not ready yet. (don't hate me pls). Chloe's a tease, but next chapter it'll happen for sure! Stay tuned folks


	9. Out in the Open

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off let me say that it's been quite awhile (yes, Im sorry). This wasn't a hiatus, writer's block is just a very cruel thing. BUT this chapter is very long (14 pages in google docs, you're welcome) and it took even longer to write due to additional writing I was to add somewhere else. So I hope you enjoy it! And yes, the long awaited sex scene is here.

Nadine laid in bed past her usual wake up time with Chloe snuggled up to her, an arm and a leg swung over her body. She had been up for quite a while, admiring her partner’s beauty as she slept peacefully with her head on Nadine’s chest. It was a picture worthy image for her to capture but decided not to do so. She’d rather live in the moment and cherish this time before Chloe woke up, and she was surprised the woman hadn’t woken up yet; there was nothing they could’ve been exhausted from the night before. After Chloe had taken a shower, Nadine had already settled herself back on the couch, assuming they weren’t on that level of comfort yet although they cuddled on the hospital bed. To much surprise, Chloe was the one who wanted Nadine to sleep in the bed with her, but there was no sex. Just cuddling and Chloe finally feeling comfortable within herself. Nadine didn’t think the gal would come out of her shell so soon, but there had to be a reason why Chloe acted like a housewife. Something no one who knew Chloe Frazer, would expect. Nonetheless, she was certainly amazed by the woman beside her and was truly proud of her for expressing how she felt. Now she no longer had to push her feelings aside.

“Morning, love,” Chloe woke, lifting her head to see that her partner was up. “You’ve been awake all this time?”

“Ja,” Nadine replied. “Enjoyed watching you sleep.”

“Yikes, a gal shows her feelings and she gets herself a stalker.”

Nadine gently punched Chloe in the arm before she could sit up. Then Chloe went to lean down to give her lover a kiss but was stopped by Nadine’s finger on her lips.

“Nu uh, brush your teeth first.”

“You’re joking.”

“Nope.” Nadine smiled. “I’m not kissing you until your mouth is cleaned. Go brush.”

“Ugh god, you’re really irritating.” Chloe groaned her way to the bathroom, followed by Nadine with a cheeky smile. “Is there anything else in your morning routine that I should know about? Because this is absurd.”

“Um, I wake up before sunrise to get an early morning jog up the hill… everyday.”

Chloe eyed her coldly while slowly brushing her teeth, hoping Nadine wouldn’t drag her on those seemingly agonizing workouts. She was never one to exercise on a daily basis--or at all. She was lucky enough to maintain a flat stomach and a big ass without ever needing a work out, despite not being as skinny like she used to be, years ago.

After they freshened up, Chloe attempted to lean in for a kiss every chance she got but Nadine, with swift movements, avoided her at all cost. It was payback for last night. So Nadine decided to tease her by taking her shirt and shorts off, leaving only her sports bra and underwear on as she went to go take a shower. Chloe was practically drooling by the time she was alone in the room, damning herself for being a tease last night. Now she got a taste of her own medicine. But the image of her perfectly sculpted partner couldn’t leave her mind. All she wanted to do was feel all over and kiss her body from head to toe (not literally).

Only five minutes had gone by and Chloe couldn’t take the emotional pain that was put on her. She was aching for attention, especially the wet sensation down between her legs. She desperately needed to take a shower and Nadine had already taken too long so she decided to take matters into her own hands. The bathroom door opened, revealing Nadine who stood under the water, hands running through her hair. Thankfully, it was a tubless shower so Chloe could easily fit herself in there too. Nadine hadn’t noticed the sound of Chloe undressing behind her but definitely freaked out when the shower door opened and Chloe hopped in. She quickly covered herself, turning her head back towards Chloe who had a smile on her face.

“Hi there.”

“Seriously? I’m naked.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” She eyed her partner’s body up and down and noticed Nadine looked bothered but not horrified. “Oh come on China, we’ve basically seen each other half naked already. Without the underlying fabric, there really isn’t much of a difference.”

“Except the fact that you can see my bare ass.”

“Is that  _ really _ all you want me to see?”

“Ugh,” Nadine groaned as she turned back around to face the shower head and continued washing her hair. After a minute, she remembered that Chloe stood behind her, waiting for her turn. “Oh I’m sorry, did you need this?”

“Yes, thank you, sharing is caring,” she replied as she squeezed herself past the woman to get under the boiling hot water then immediately stepped back into Nadine. “Holy shit this is burning!”

Nadine had her arms crossed, unfazed by Chloe’s little outburst, “Sorry, didn’t think I’d be sharing showers so soon, love.”

Chloe turned towards her slowly, “Did you just  _ love _ me? That’s my thing.”

“Everything is your thing.”

“But  _ you _ have a thing for me, yeah?” She saw that Nadine looked down to hide her bright flushed cheeks, maybe from nervousness or just the skin melting heat she called a shower. “It’s alright, sweetheart, everyone does.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, you’re not that special.”

“Really, well why’d you catch that train with me then? Because you were deeply… in love?” She was on her way to play with Nadine again by running her index finger along her partner’s chest down towards her breasts. Before she could reach near the nipple, Nadine immediately grabbed her arm and held it behind her back, slowly pulling their bodies closer together. The sexual tension continued to grow but their souls called for each other. Nadine began to show her dominance which intrigued Chloe quite a bit but she couldn’t do it.  _ She _ was the top dog. She couldn’t find herself submitting to previous lover’s in the past but the way Nadine was so gently rough with her, she found herself melting into the woman’s arms. So she needed to turn away.

“Wash me?” She attempted to make it sound more of a demand than a question, and Nadine complied, grabbing the scrubby she held up. Chloe was already turned so she started with her back, scrubbing the soap all the way down her spine but stopped at the curve of Chloe’s ass. Was she allowed to go further? She  _ did _ feel her ass already so it wasn’t like she couldn’t do it again. So she did and it was painful. Nadine wanted to touch Chloe with her bare hands, not with the stupid scrubby, but the throbbing feeling between her legs made her feel as if she was going to lash out if she didn’t release. But the Aussie woman finally did it for her when she “accidentally” dropped the shampoo bottle then bent down in front of Nadine to get it, giving her a glimpse of her pussy.

“Sorry love, butterfing-” she tried to say but was cut off by a hand that wrapped around her neck to pull her into the woman behind her. Nadine’s breath was hot and heavy as she gently bit at her shoulders, releasing some tension from the last few minutes. Her soft and warm tongue slithered it’s way up to Chloe’s neck where her hand no longer grasped, but her other hand slipped past everything to make shelter in between wet folds, causing a moan from the Australian’s mouth. She continued caressing those newly found lips as she teased the entrance, making Chloe jerk her body for more. The girl wanted to collapse, but thank god Nadine was holding her up, otherwise, she’d be on her knees… in which she really wanted to be. God, she was so wet. She needed Nadine inside her to keep her standing or she’d plummet. It didn’t help that Nadine sucked on the curve of her neck, leaving small purple spots every few inches. Her body was on the brink of exploding.

“If you don’t… get inside,” Chloe managed through moans, “I’m going to… kill you.”

“Isn’t fun being teased, izzit?” Nadine whispered in her ear as she circled Chloe’s clit, causing heavy pants from the woman in front of her. 

“Fuck…” Chloe bit her lip. “Just go in already. I’m dying here.”

“Say please.”

The Aussie woman groaned, realizing there was no way to escape out of Nadine’s hold. Not that she wanted to escape but she needed to take control somehow. The woman was much stronger so there was no way in hell. She had to submit, although her personality had said otherwise. It drove her insane being held still but Nadine Ross was sexy at it so she figured she could have her turn later tonight.

She obeyed her partner, giving Nadine more control to make her knees weak. Her breathing grew heavier as Nadine’s middle finger slowly entered its way through tight, slippery walls. Chloe reached towards the back of Nadine’s neck to hold herself still as her partner fucked her rougher by the second, but she needed more contact. She turned carefully to lean against the wall, making sure Nadine was still inside her, and pulled her in for a kiss. Chloe could’ve fallen at the moment Nadine pushed in deeper, but thankfully she lifted one of Chloe’s legs to hold her steady, giving access to another finger.

“More,” Chloe begged, through hard moans.

“Chloe Frazer begging so soon?”

The woman didn’t respond. Instead, pulled her partner into a passionate kiss, sliding her tongue into her mouth, both fighting for dominance. She kept Nadine close, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck as she came closer to her climax. Nadine pumped harder once she felt Chloe’s inner walls begin to tighten around her fingers. Her moans grew louder as she reached her point but it all came to a quick stop when Nadine pulled out and she was left confounded. She pulled back to see the woman in front of her lick the soaked, pruney fingers that were just inside her. 

“Seems, I can play this game better than you,” Nadine said, as she finished sucking her fingers and walked towards the bathroom door. “Come on, we’re going to see mother.” She exited the bathroom, leaving the Australian woman alone feeling betrayed yet, still lustful. 

 

Nadine drove to Saldanha where her mother stayed. Chloe was slumped in the passenger seat with her arms crossed while wearing Nadine’s pair of Ray Ban sunglasses. It had been a silent hour into the drive where Nadine believed Chloe had fallen asleep, but was actually just sitting there… with a grudge. After Nadine left the shower, Chloe stayed a few more minutes, resenting the South African woman with passion for not being able to come. It felt like her pride had been stripped away and she wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Did she like it or hate it? But did it keep the anticipation going? Yes. 

Nadine was concerned for a moment but quickly realized why Chloe played the silent game. So she pretended to play dumb for the fun of it. “You alright, Frazer?”

“Just peachy,” Chloe answered in a monotone.

Nadine tried to hide her smirk. “Doesn’t seem like it.”

“Well, I fucking hate you.”

There it was. The line Nadine had been waiting for. Taking away Chloe’s pride and dominant mentality was the most entertaining thing Nadine’s had in awhile. She was proud of herself, but knew this was all just a teasing game-- _ Chloe’s game _ . And it was lovely to see the woman get a taste of her own medicine. Nadine tried her hardest not to laugh at her misery, only wishing she could capture the moment on picture. 

“You’re dramatic.”

“What you did was very fucking cruel. I would never go that far.”

“You’re just upset because someone can play your game better than you.”

“It’s unfair because you’re much stronger than I am! Now we’re going to your mothers for some reason, in which I can’t do anything at all!” She took a few seconds to calm down from her sexual frustrations. “Ugh, you are an evil woman.”

“Don’t cross Ross, remember?”         

“Pfft.” Chloe rolled her eyes. There was nothing else to say. She needed to get back at her somehow, but how long could she really play this game until it was too much? Nadine had already took first place so she needed to think of something better, but the only thing that was on her mind was sitting on Nadine’s lap in the driver’s seat while riding her fingers until she came.

A turn into a driveway interrupted her uncontrollable thoughts; they had arrived. Nadine looked awfully confused as to why there were three extra cars in the driveway, wondering who else was there. “Nadine!” Her mama called, followed by two children who ran out the door to hug her. They were her niece and nephew, Amahle and Juan (pronounced Juwan). Nadine was startled by the sudden surprise as she gave them a big hug, squeezing them lifeless. Chloe’s heart warmed seeing Nadine’s genuine and uplifting smile. She knew in that moment, Nadine was her happiest. From all the conversations they’ve had, Chloe could tell how much she loved her niece and nephew. Since Nadine didn’t have kids of her own, it made sense that she’d spoil and cherish the only kids in her life.

“Amahle, Juan, this is Chloe. My partner--business partner, I mean.”

Chloe eyed her as she struggled with her nerves, or maybe there was something  _ else _ she were to say. Instead of analyzing the woman any further, she turned her attention to the children where they greeted her with a hug as well. 

“My ouma has a cat. Well it’s actually my tannie’s cat, but I’m sure you haven’t met him yet. Want to see?” Juan asked. Chloe nodded her head, not expecting him and Amahle to grab both her hands and drag her into the house. 

Nadine and Kandie followed behind, laughing in sync at the interaction. While Chloe and the children played with the cat in the living room, Nadine and her mother began conversations in the kitchen, while Kandie cooked. But there was something off about mama Ross, as if she had something to hide. She made no effort to look her daughter in the eye but continued conversation like she were to never see tomorrow. Nadine had another topic in mind but somehow couldn’t get to it. She was forced to answer questions regarding her and Chloe.

“Okay, are you done now? I’m quite over the non stop discussions about my love life.”

“I just wanted to see how my meisie was doing with her new lover. I didn’t realize you two were still in South Africa…”

“Ja… that’s what I wanted to talk with you about.” Nadine waited to get her mother’s attention again as she stirred the pot, zoned out of her mind. “I’m going to sell the house and keep my flat back in London.”

“Oh,” Kandie was surprised, but knew whatever she said couldn’t change her daughter’s mind. “May I ask why?”

“Change of scenery?” 

Her mother had given her a look that called bullshit. “Ek is nie ‘n dwaas nie, Nadine. You think I am stupid?”

Nadine sighed heavily, realizing this was going nowhere. “I just think it’d be more convenient now that me and Chloe are partners.”

Kandie gasped, “I knew you two were a couple! Oh, Nadine I’m so proud!”

Nadine’s eyes grey wide at her mother’s sudden change of volume. She immediately turned her head over to Chloe, making sure she didn’t hear that. Thankfully, she didn’t react—or maybe she was actually listening but didn’t want to intrude, which could be the actual reason. “Eish moeder, could you be any louder? For the last time, she’s my work partner! Everything I say does not regard who I bring home, okay? Seriously, is that all you care about?”

She sighed, “Nadine, I can’t control you. You’re thirty-five. If you chose to leave home and live in another country, I will support it. I will miss you but it’s not like you call me anyway. You could get struck by a bullet and I wouldn’t even know.” 

Immediately, Nadine sucked her lips in, avoiding eye contact with her mother at all cost. Kandie caught on with the expression and dropped the ladle she held, appalled at her careless daughter. Before any word could escape her mouth, Nadine quickly explained the whole situation before she was scolded. That it was to  _ save _ Chloe, not for any other reason. Nadine Ross was always careful. 

After the explanation, her mother calmed but was still bothered that she didn’t call and inform her. Not even a day after. But soon, the feeling went away when she took the time to analyze the whole situation. She shook her head while clicking her tongue at the roof of her mouth multiple times, underestimating the limits her daughter would go for a woman. And to think, everything was all for  _ this _ woman. After she gave up Shoreline and now to move closer to Chloe, what  _ wouldn’t _ Nadine do for her? Let her die, that is.

“Eish Nadia, I could scold you for your recklessness but I won’t. Instead, I will tell you that I’m proud. Make sure she’s the one, ja?”

“Yeah,” Nadine repeats back as she looks over to the beautiful woman. Chloe was now playing a game on the console with Juan, laughing hysterically at her failed attempts at Crash Bandicoot. All Nadine could do was turn red from how much the sight of Chloe genuinely smiling made her feel. To see her laugh and get along with her favorite children— and cat, were beyond words. It was probably at that moment, she knew, Chloe was the one for her. How daring to say for Nadine… but it was true.

“Oh hello,” a familiar voice to Nadine, appeared behind her. She looked back over to the living room to see her older brother introduce himself to Chloe. All she could hear was muffled small talk until he made his way towards the kitchen. “Mother, why is there a goddess in the living room?”

“That’s Nadine’s  _ friend _ .”

He looked over to the island and saw his sister who sat on a barstool, fingers intertwined, giving him a fake smile. “Nadine, wow! What brings you?”

“Just wanted to talk to mum. You?”

“Visiting. Before we head off to Jamaica.”

“Always travelling, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, got to enjoy life, right? See the world. What about you? I heard you’d been staying in London. She there too?” He jerked his head towards Chloe, eyeing her and biting his lip as if he were ready to charm her into his bed. Who wasn’t the first person to think that, but Nadine couldn’t help but feel her blood boil.  _ Don’t get possessive, Nadine, _ she reminded herself.

“She’s not interested, Daveed.”

“She could speak for herself.” He pushed himself off the counter to walk over to Chloe again, but Nadine grabbed him by the wrist and pinned it to the counter top, giving him a death glare.

“She’s mine. Fokkoff.” Nadine eyed him a little longer to make sure he wouldn’t make any other move, but he knew to back off. Chloe was Nadine’s woman, whether they were actually together or not. Although, she may be the only one out of the two that thought that far ahead into their “partnership” but she wasn’t going to deny that she wanted more than whatever this was. But they weren’t official--yet. To be technical, Chloe did not actually admit to her feelings, it was just a state of newfound comfort whenever they were around each other. 

               Nadine made her way to Chloe, despite her ongoing thoughts, to interrupt her gaming time with the kids. Nadine suggested Chloe to follow her to a hallway where Chloe became suspicious of whatever the gal was up to, but little did she know, it was something she wouldn’t even think of. Nadine stopped at a door and discreetly looked around to see if anyone else saw them. When the coast was clear, she gently pushed Chloe into what was a bathroom, locked the door, and aimed for her partner, grabbing her by the hip and propping her on the counter. She pushed her lips onto Chloe’s, desperate for tongue action. Chloe, startled by the sudden act, gave in once she felt Nadine’s warm tongue poking between her lips, begging for an entrance.

“Wait,” Chloe interrupted, “this is your mother’s house. We can’t.”

“Oh, we can.”

Chloe suddenly felt intrigued. The lips between her legs sure did. “Ooh, such a captivating woman you are.”

“Apparently, my brother thinks the same of you.”

“Awe, is that why you’re all over me? Were you  _ jealous _ ?” Chloe teased, caressing the girl’s arm with the gentle tip of her fingers as she pouted. But Nadine wasn’t playing anymore games so she wrapped her hands around Chloe’s neck to pull her in for a french kiss. All that was heard was the whimpers and low moans coming from both their mouths, reminding themselves they aren’t back home. Unable to control herself, Nadine ripped open her partner’s flannel, dropping a button of two and pushed her tank top up to her chest, cupping her breasts and using her thumb and index finger to pinch the dark, erect nipples, causing a shriek from the woman under her spell. She tried not to moan as loud once Nadine bit down on the curve of her neck but Chloe was desperate for an orgasm. She needed to feel Nadine so she unbuttoned her pants and slid her fingers in between, feeling her heated sex through the cotton fabric of her underwear. Nadine moaned at the feeling of her partner’s sensitive touch, needing more pleasure and damning herself for not just having sex in the shower earlier. But tease was good… tease was always good. Especially to Chloe whose fingers ran smoothly up and down Nadine’s slit, causing the woman to moan louder and louder with pressure. The sound of pleasure was extremely satisfying on her end. She enjoyed letting the woman who played the dominatrix most of today, crumble to pieces in front of her. 

“Mm, I’d love to go down on you right now but I must say, wouldn’t your family be wondering where we are? I mean the kids…”

Restraining from moaning any louder, Nadine pulled away from Chloe’s jaw to brush her lips against her ear, “The doors are locked. Just stay quiet.” Then gave a slow seductive lick along her earlobe, sending sparks down the Australian’s spine. 

“Naughty girl. I love it.”

Nadine loved when she had that low rasp in her tone. It made her feel everything from butterflies to cloud nine, as if it felt possible to fall in love with a voice.

The pace was slow; Nadine was impatient now. The need to fuck Chloe was unbearable and the temptation to have her right then and there was too agonizing to wait, but soon she realized the situation they were in, wasn’t righteous. Having sex, without games for the first time, was not going to be in a bathroom--at her mothers. It needed to be in the comfort of her own home, to where they could be as chaotically loud and rough as they could be. So, Nadine pulled back, tugging her partner’s tank top down and zipping her own pants up, 

“Okay, here’s the deal. No teasing. No games. From here on forward, strictly professional. That’s until we get back home, of course… got it?”

Chloe nodded, then pulled Nadine in for one more kiss with a bit of tongue before pulling away, “Just so you know, this is the second time you left me hangin’. You’re gonna get it tonight, Ross.”

“I’ll bet,” Nadine winked in reply, smacking Chloe’s ass right before they went out into the hallway. Chloe returned to the living room to continue Crash Bandicoot with Juan and Amahle, having to rid her partner’s spontaneity out of her mind. Nadine didn’t follow behind. There was a tingle in the back of her head that told her not to go into the living room, but instead, outside. So she did. She opened the doors to a cool breeze, perfect feeling for a hot and humid day. The sound of crashing waves against the shore and seagulls squawking in the distance; Nadine missed this. The tranquil sounds of summer couldn’t beat anything else. It became an idyllic moment in time for the restless treasure hunter. For what would be the next chapter of her life--her life _ with _ Chloe?

The snapping of twigs and rustle of bushes had caught her attention and had her pointed to the direction of the beach. It came from the pathway surrounded by bushes that led out onto the beach from the back patio. A man approached the gate, holding fishing gear and a bucket. A man who happened to be her father.

She was stiff, in utter disbelief that her father was home. It would explain the extra car in the driveway although she remembered his car to be different in the past. He noticed her, standing still and not saying a word, but continued to set his things on the lounge chair beside him.

“Nadine…” he spoke, without any enthusiasm to see his second born. It was almost as if he was disappointed in her presence despite not communicating within the past six months.

“Father…” Nadine repeated in the same manner. Nerves struck her in the pit of her stomach, far too anxious for the next part of the conversation and far too afraid to turn away. It may have been the first time in a long time that someone  _ and _ something, made her feel queasy inside. After avoiding her father for so long, their tense reunion was bound to happen whether they both liked it or not. “I see you’ve been busy… seem to have caught a fish or two.” Nadine lightly chuckled, trying to reduce the tension after hearing the skids of the bucket from the floppy fish.

“Mm…”

Then it was silence--again. At that point, Nadine had enough. She hated dull conversations especially with her own blood and people that she cared about. The temptation to walk away was too hard to ignore but the guilt of banishing herself away had conquered her body more than any other emotion besides her love for Chloe. Whether her father wanted to hear anything involving Shoreline or not, Nadine prepared to do it anyway. Right there, right now.

“Do you know the story?” Nadine asked, but he didn’t respond. “Dad? Do you know?” They had made eye contact for a quick second. She could feel something in his body posture, how his head hung low, body slump. “When Rafe Adler came to me, discussing an opportunity for money, I took it. It’s what you would’ve done, ja? That’s what Shoreline was. Took anything that came with a good pay day. But these stupid Drake brothers somehow took out the majority of my men and the ones I had left, betrayed me.  _ Rafe betrayed me _ .” She noticed that he was leaned against the metal fence, arms crossed, head still hung low, but he seemed to have taken in what Nadine had just told him. Nadine had started to pace back and forth, but she knew at that point, he wasn’t going to respond so she gave up. “If you chose not to respond, I understand. It was on my watch… I am sorry for losing Shoreline. But it’s done. I’m not going back.” After her last words, she expected something from him but still nothing. So she began to walk away, unsure of her emotions.

“I don’t know what to say Nadine,” he finally spoke. Nadine stopped short before the door, but she didn’t turn around to face him. She just… stood there. “Do you know how many years I’ve worked on creating that company? Years and years of hard work, thrown down the drain.  _ Your doing _ . For what, some make believe treasure? I thought I taught you better.”

A nerve struck her. She turned to face him, eyeing him directly as she walked to stand just a few feet from him. “You taught me to be a leader,” she growled. “I lead.” He scoffed, and it seemed this was all a joke to him, that he couldn’t take what his daughter explained seriously. Now, she needed to get one final say out. “I have a new gig going for me now. Guaranteed a good pay, most of the time. If you’d like, I’ll take my cut and pay for lost funds. If not, I understand. You can despise me forever if it makes you feel good because I know nothing I do could ever repay you. But I am sorry.” With that, she left the yard to go back inside. Her brother, mother, and Chloe were all in the kitchen having a good time conversing with one another up until Nadine showed herself. Then it became pure silence, well, except for the kids in the background. Her mother had an expression of fear, her eyes filled with worry. Now, Nadine knew why her mother couldn’t look her in the eye before.

“We’re leaving,” she informed Chloe. The woman became confused about the sudden change of vibe but she wasn’t going to argue with her. Nadine wasn’t the same as she was in the bathroom. So they gave the children hugs as they said goodbye and to Daveed and Kandie, but Nadine’s father nowhere to be found. 

_______

 

They returned home after a quiet ride back to Cape Town. Nadine sat on the couch, frustrated with an ache in her heart from the effortless discussion with her father. But Chloe had no idea her father was even at the house, but everyone else had known. So she explained everything to Chloe, even going back to describe what happened during that job to remind her. Chloe noticed how much her partner tried to fight back the tears so she went ahead to make tea and popcorn, then put on Hell’s Kitchen in the background so Nadine could possibly laugh at something, but it did nothing. Nadine hadn’t smiled once and Chloe felt completely useless, not being able to come up with anything to lighten the mood. Oh how she wished she could take her pain away… 

“Eh, I think I like you better as a treasure hunter anyway. I’m sure the Drakes would agree…?” Chloe gave a grin, hoping the humor would do some good, but a cold glare was all she got. Chloe sighed, then shifted her position sideways on the couch to look directly at Nadine. “Although, you’re a rookie in the game, you definitely won the jackpot having me as your partner. Being a professional and all, I could show you the ropes.”

Nadine scoffed but there was a little crooked smile at the end of it, “Is that so?”

“Yeah.” Chloe bit her lip, knowing that challenged tone of voice was used to test her dominant abilities and it gave her an idea. She pushed herself closer to Nadine and began caressing her partner’s arm with the tip of her finger. “Kiss me and find out?”

“Chloe, I’m not in the mood for this.”

“No no,” she disagreed, lifting herself up to straddle Nadine’s lap. “You can’t fuck me til I almost come then leave. You left me hangin’ love. Sorry but you might need to pay for that.”

“Mm, you forget who has the muscles here.”

“Let’s distract those then.” 

Luckily, Chloe had already changed into sport shorts so she grabbed Nadine’s hands and slid them under her shorts, letting Nadine feel the bare skin of her ass. The further she went to feel, the tighter the pull of her shorts came and added pressure against Chloe’s aching nub causing the woman to shiver at the feeling. Her moans began at a normal volume up until she felt her partner’s nails scratch along her ass and spread it. “Better love?” She looked down to Nadine who mumbled something in her chest. Chloe giggled at the sight of how easily the woman was distracted. Nadine had taken her hands out under the shorts and went to take off Chloe’s flannel and tank top, throwing them across the room. Her hands roamed the beautiful Indian-Australian body as she kissed all over her breasts, a nipple in between her teeth every now and then which drove the woman insane.

Chloe never knew she would love the feeling of a woman’s hands all over her--surely it had been quite a long time since then. She was used to the roughness of men and them heading straight into the fucking part without taking the time to embrace each other. Still, it  _ was _ just a quick hook up after a night at the bar or when Chloe needed a release, but she missed this; the slow, anticipating climb up to her peak. She went in for a hungered kiss, desired to feel her partner’s warm tongue move in circular motion against hers with nails that dug into her back, moving down her spine, which almost had her scream from that unexpected sensation. Oh how Chloe could just come from the gentle roughness of the woman under her… but that pain was surely a reminder that this wasn’t a dream.

Nadine had taken it further by bringing her hand down under as she fought her way through the tightness of Chloe’s shorts to get to the spot she’d been neglecting, but Chloe did not want that… yet. Her greatest desire was to pleasure Nadine.

“Sorry China,” Chloe interrupted, bringing Nadine’s hand up to surface, “if you want it, you’re gonna have to wait. You already had your fair share earlier in the shower--which I still hate you for, but now it’s my turn.” She gave a flirtatious wink before taking off Nadine’s shirt and her sports bra, then shifted their positions so Nadine was laid sideways on the couch with Chloe on top. Even though Nadine wasn’t completely naked, Chloe took a minute to take in how beautiful Nadine was, laid on the couch with nothing but her jeans on; hair down and sprawled over the arm of the couch. It wasn’t her signature ponytail that the Aussie was used to seeing but Chloe liked it. She then found herself licking her lips as her hands ran over the rock hard abs, not realizing how long she’d been like that.

“Enjoying yourself up there?” Nadine interrupted, showing a cocky smile.

“I was thinking… maybe on our next hunt, you could do it shirtless. My eyes could get a workout watching you climb all day long.” 

Nadine rolled her eyes before her response but Chloe had cut her off with a kiss, her hands already at work to unbutton the jeans. After the jeans were off, Chloe went back to devour the woman’s neck with her kisses and love bites, leaving small purple marks along her collarbone and down to her chest as her lips made their way to suck on dark hardened nipples that awaited a warm touch. Her ears perked to the sounds of Nadine’s soft moans that grew heavier once Chloe dragged her tongue gently down the abdomen and to her groin. Nadine’s legs had spread on their own to make a home for the Australian beauty, soon to dive herself into beautiful wet folds.

With a tongue so soft and warm, Nadine became desperate for more as Chloe moved further below. She planted kisses along the side of her thighs, making sure every soft spot was accounted for, but as she reached more in between, her kisses turned into licks.

“Do you have to tease?” Nadine asked with seductive innocence that rang heaven to Chloe’s ears as she licked upward of Nadine’s outer labia, nowhere touching the heated center. She looked up to see the woman with an arm swung over her eyelids, exhausted from her increasing arousal. Chloe had teased too much by licking every part of her except where Nadine needed it most, but this was all fun and games for Chloe Frazer. It was an amusing sight to see the beautiful dark skinned lass writhing under her tongue and she hadn’t even touched the middle yet, but the continuous buck of her partner’s hips were sign that she shouldn’t leave her woman to suffer anymore.

“Say please,” she whispered while continuing licks along the outside of Nadine’s lips, closing in on her clit with a brush of her hot breath.

“Are you fucking ki--” She drew a sharp breath before she could finish; Chloe had cut her off with a slow lick from her entrance to her clit using the flat of her tongue then pulled back.

“Say please or I won’t continue.”

“Ugh, fine.”

“Good girl.” The Aussie winked, giving one last glimpse of her cocky smile that Nadine wanted to smack off her face, before diving head first into glorious pussy. She started slow; painfully slow, just to watch Nadine suck in her stomach in waves of pleasure. Her tongue moved in vertical motion before swirling around the clit, finishing with a suckered kiss before repeating the process again and again and again. While her mouth kept busy in between widespread legs, she kept her eyes on Nadine who hadn’t looked at her yet. Nadine’s arm still covered her face, refusing to expose herself while her hips moved uncontrollably.

Nadine hadn’t felt so good in so long; but it had been about four months since she had sex. She kept an arm over her face to hide the burning red flush of her cheeks because if Chloe noticed it, her ego would be on another level and she’d never shut up after this. The ping in her stomach told her to expose her face regardless of the blush, so she could feel more than just a lick between her legs. Sex to Nadine had always been intimate; to be able to connect emotionally and physically. She couldn’t do quick hook ups like Chloe Frazer. Exposing herself was a sacred thing that only happened with people close to her heart, but why was Nadine hiding herself? Was she nervous around Chloe?

Chloe’s licks became aggressive, distracting her from the pit in her stomach. The pressure against her pussy warmed her insides with butterflies, arching her body every time Chloe teased the entrance with her fingers. She jerked her head up, creating sheer eye contact between the two; Chloe’s eyes asking for permission to enter. Nadine pulled her left leg closer to her with the support of the couch pillow, giving room for her sex hungry partner.

She began with one finger, pushing in and out slowly as she watched her partner’s mouth open with every thrust. She heard growls coming from above, her ears perked to the sound she’s never heard before. How interesting…

Then she added another one, thrusting at a faster speed. This time, Nadine had a pillow over her face to cover the high pitched moans she couldn’t control and she couldn’t imagine another adorable sight. But the pillow became too hot for Nadine so she threw it across the room and grabbed hold of Chloe’s head once the Aussie brought her mouth back. 

“Holy shit…” Nadine moaned, but shortly after came a sharp inhale. “Oh fuck, right there.” The finger thrusts grew harder and faster by the second while Chloe sucked on her clit and Nadine wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold on before she came. The curl of her fingers had almost done did it for her.  Chloe’s arm turned sore from continuous motion, but it did not bother the gal one bit. Her mission was to make the beautiful woman come undone with the beautiful sounds of wet slaps with every hard thrust. Nadine had her hand gripped on the Aussie’s loose head of hair, pulling her in to add more pressure because her peak was rising. Her legs shook and toes curled at the tingling sensation deep inside her.

“Fuck I’m gonna come Chloe,” Nadine whimpered. Chloe mumbled with her mouth still latched onto the bundle of nerves, maintaining eye contact. She watched as Nadine spazzed uncontrollably as she arched her back until she almost fell off the couch, trying to grasp something with her free hand while her other one gripped Chloe’s hair as she rode out her orgasm. 

Chloe pulled her head back, fingers following the same movement. She began to suck on the sticky substance, reminding herself of when Nadine had done the same in the shower. Nadine’s breathing relaxed, but her eyes stayed close. But after Chloe finished licking her fingers, she climbed over Nadine, kissing over her body again.

“Pussy is incredible, I dunno how I’ve gone so long without it,” the Aussie pointed out.

“Oh, hush.”

Chloe leant down to kiss those cold lips she neglected for quite awhile, but to Nadine, she was able to kiss warm lips that tasted of herself. They continued their lip locking much longer this time, hungered for each other as if the world ended tomorrow. It came to surprise as to how Nadine’s energy resurfaced. After the orgasm, she was sure to knock out. But no, she wasn’t stopping until she got her turn, this time with her mouth.

She realized Chloe’s shorts were still on, but thankfully it wasn’t a three step process like her jeans. Nadine took control, grabbing Chloe by the thighs to lift her off the couch then throw her back on so she was sitting upright. Nadine bent down, sucking at Chloe’s neck, leaving a hickey or too, much to Chloe’s protests not to. She hurriedly kissed down to her breasts, sucking and nibbling at each nipple before reaching down to her navel. The shorts came off without a struggle revealing Chloe’s beautifully swollen wet pussy, causing Nadine’s mouth to water. She knelt down on the floor in front of Chloe and grabbed hold of both legs to have control of them. Chloe did nothing but bite her lip at the muscles that held her legs open.

Without hesitation, Nadine went in, figuring that she could do this time without the build up since she had done it earlier in the shower. Her tongue devoured Chloe, poking inside her entrance to tease. Chloe already had her hand gripped on Nadine’s head, pulling in for more. Nadine moved in every type of motion: horizontally, vertically, flicking at her clit to get her legs to shiver. She loved the taste of her, as if the sneak peek from the shower wasn’t enough. She stuck her tongue in, desired for more of her sweet flavor, and pushed as far as she could go.

“Oh my god, China, thanks for the warning.”

Nadine rolled her eyes, continuing to thrust in as deep as she could while hearing high pitched moans coming from her partner. Eventually her tongue became sore, so she replaced it with  _ two _ fingers and Chloe taking her place by holding her own leg. Nadine pumped her fingers up to great speed to where Chloe couldn’t control her breathing. It went from moan, to growl, to pants. God, this was going to make her come any minute especially with Nadine sucking on her clit while pounding her pussy with strong fingers.

“Holy fuck, if you keep going like this, I’m going to come.”

“Aw, already?”

“Shut the hell up.”

Nadine continued what she was doing, pumping recklessly harder and faster, curling her fingers at the end to touch the one spot Chloe needed most. Unlike her lover, her arm wouldn’t get sore as she used to work out every morning so she could do this all night if she wanted. Chloe, on the other hand, was on the verge of her climax. Her free hand went to Nadine’s other hand to intertwine them as she reached her point. Nadine thought it was peculiar that Chloe grabbed her hand to hold, seeing it as a sign of pure intimacy, but maybe it was just a random thing Chloe did?

“Holy fuck…” Chloe made out, breath ragged from her hard undoing. Nadine gave one last lick of her pussy after pulling her fingers out, then reached eye level with Chloe to kiss her. The lass returned the kiss but could only do it for so long. She was exhausted.

“Couldn’t handle it anymore, eh?” Nadine teased. They change their positions so they could both lay together on the couch, Nadine being the bigger spoon.

“To be fair, you gave me a head start and then left me to die so can you blame me?”

“Hmm, how about round two.”

“Maybe next time, love. I’m not as young as I used to be. I’m spent.”

“Rookie.”

Chloe’s head shot up then turned to face Nadine, “I’m like what--three, four years older than you? Give a girl a break. Kay?”

Nadine gave a smile that could end all of Chloe’s frustrations, then leaned down to give her one more kiss. “Okay, next time… rookie.”

“Jesus.”

They laid on the couch cuddled against each other for the rest of the night watching whatever Chloe chose on Netflix. Nadine grabbed the blanket that hung over the back of the couch and covered both of their naked bodies, eventually drifting to sleep easily from their hard working, fun filled night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd ya think? ;) I know it's not as good but it took me forever to write a decent one. Anyways, the story will come to an end in just a few chapters. Not sure how much longer though... but hopefully you all enjoyed this super long chapter. I will try to get the next one out shortly! Hurricane preparations are stressful.


	10. New Orleans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I want to just say that I am sooo surprised by how many hits I have on this fic. I know some could just have clicked on it then backed out but I'm super super thankful for the ones who have read it and kept up to date! You guys are very awesome, I love ya :) Enjoy the read!! :)

Fresh coffee beans filled the air conditioned room with the sounds of blenders and the ringing of the cash register. Conversations mixed with English, Afrikaans, and a bit of Xhosa were to be heard all around the room which fascinated Chloe the most. She resided in a small cafe in town, with a window seat to take sight in the waterfront view while she waited for her order. A bubbly feeling stirred inside her since she woke up this morning and strangely, it hadn’t bothered her at all. But she began to see a different perspective of life; a new and more delicate view of her upcoming future. With the waves brushing itself against the shore, couples walking alongside it, the youth and their beach games… it was all too peaceful, as if in that moment, Chloe felt content. Sure taking yoga classes and working alone was all she needed to feel content within herself. This time, she felt that with her life. A seemingly better life with Nadine Ross in it, but the feeling was all too bittersweet. Happy that the two have gotten closer within a week, but the ache in her heart became all too familiar when she thought about their relationship. What were the next steps to all this?

Nothing of last night’s adventure was ever mentioned since the two had woken up. That it was simply a discussion for another time. They had small conversations about other things while they strolled along the beach side, visiting gift shops and Chloe continuously snapping pictures, including a few selfies of her and Nadine. She went through the pictures on her phone, swiping left to see what she had taken within the past week.  _ What an adventure _ , she thought.

The thump of a coffee mug landing on the hard wood of their table, startled Chloe. She looked up to see the gorgeous treasure hunter whose hair was in loose curls, brushed to one side from the way she parted her hair. It was now one of Chloe’s favorite hairstyles, better than keeping her beautiful curled locks detained in a ponytail. And she couldn’t take her eyes off her. Especially when the sunlight beamed through the glass window, turning Nadine’s eyes from brown to hazel. Chloe was entranced, but soon realized it was rude to stare and that Nadine would have noticed already, so she took a sip of her coffee: a hot caramel macchiato with light milk, extra syrup, and an extra espresso shot.

“Ugh, I don’t know how you drink all that sugar,” Nadine spoke, watching the woman embrace her coffee.

Chloe raised an eyebrow at her for a moment before responding, “My intelligence flows with every ounce of sweetness. Also keeps me awake.”

Nadine chuckled, “I see.”

The air was silent again. They each took sips of their beverages without saying a word to each other, every now and then making eye contact. Nadine stared out the window, watching the town as it goes by minute by minute. Chloe found herself staring  **again** .  _ Damn her natural instincts…  _ What was it about Nadine that reeled her in so quickly? Her physique? Um, of course! But it wasn’t just that-- although it definitely was her partner’s daunting appearance to others that sparked her interest. Maybe it was the constant bickering she grew to love? Or it was the limitless efforts Nadine would go for her, saving her from falling to her death well over a hundred times and despite Chloe’s lack of communication, she managed to still want Chloe in her life after breaking her heart. It seemed as if there was nothing the woman wouldn’t do for her. 

Nadine noticed Chloe staring down at her mug, watching as the warmth of it disappeared. Her hands wrapped around it, fingers tapping against the ceramic cup in wave patterns. She wondered what the Aussie thought about that pulled her out of space and time. Was it last night? Had she been embarrassed about what happened between them? She was nervous to ask about it, but she did not regret last night. Knowing Chloe Frazer had a reputation in the bedroom, the silence killed her. She needed conversation so her mind wouldn’t wander to places she didn’t want to go, so she took a sip of her tea before speaking, “Thought of anything new?”

“Wha…?” Chloe looked up to her, clueless of what her partner was asking.

“Any ideas for our next hunt?”

“Oh, right. Um…” She began to think, but eventually, nothing. “I don’t have anything, actually. I haven’t really thought about it.” Her eyes made contact with Nadine’s again and there was a look of concern in hers. “Shi--I’m sorry China. My mind’s just been off today.”

“It’s… nothing of last night, right?”

A bit of panic rose in her chest. Reassurance was not Chloe’s forte but after previous fails to communicate, she told herself to do so, so she didn’t make the same mistake twice. “No no, it’s nothing about that. Last night was amazing, I loved every bit. It’s ju--I’ve been thinking about some things that’s all.”

“Like what?”

Her heart raced faster, wanting to pour out her chest. She was just thinking about how much she felt for Nadine, how her heart soars just looking at the woman, but she couldn’t tell her that. Not yet at least. She looked to her phone to get an idea of another alternative answer, but when the screen lit up, she realized what day it was: Friday. Elena’s baby shower is the very next day.  _ Shit _ . She hadn’t mentioned it to Nadine yet either. Oh well, that was the alternative.

“Remember when I brought up the whole vacation thing?”

Nadine nodded.

“I was thinking… maybe we could take a trip to the States. New Orleans, perhaps?”

“Sure, but why there?”

“I’ve been invited to a baby shower. My presence is mandatory, otherwise she’d kill me if I wasn’t there. But I want you to come with me.” Chloe averted her eyes far from Nadine’s, not wanting to be face to face if she declined. But why would she? They both wanted to be around each other until the end, that’s what it seemed.

“Is this your version of a date?” Nadine giggled.

A smile grew across Chloe’s face, “Not really, but why not, right? Plus, there isn’t another person on Earth I’d fly halfway across the world with.” Nadine laughed again. In the cheeky way that her eyelids closed from smiling too hard. Chloe’s favorite fucking smile,  _ ever _ . Maybe this part was easy after all.

“It’s astonishing when words like that come out of your mouth.”

“Yeah I know. I’m a charmer when I want to be. So is that a yes?”

Nadine thought about the trip, the cost, the fact that people were gonna be there and that she’d have to communicate. She wasn’t always a people person--an introvert at the most--except when she had to work at Shoreline and bark orders to her soldiers. But that was work, this was… something she  _ had _ to make conversation. And she dreaded that. But Chloe was to be with her and that made it worth a lot more than if she were to go solo.

So she agreed, not with a confident yes but enough to make Chloe smile and look for plane tickets. Typically, a plane ride from Cape Town to New Orleans would take more than a day’s trip, having multiple layovers and overnight flights. That was the benefit of owning a private militia: able to fly anywhere in the world on a personal aircraft with no cost. Sadly, there was no more of that, although it wouldn’t be much to just drive to Shoreline’s base and see if they had any aircraft left, but it wouldn’t have been worth the extra drive. But Nadine wasn’t sure how long they planned on being there. She’s heard of great things in New Orleans but she didn’t picture her “vacation” to be in the United States. 

The same country as the  _ Drakes, _ she shivered at the thought.

“Jesus,” she heard Chloe say. The lass in front of her had been looking at plane tickets for the past half hour, scrolling and scrolling and scrolling through multiple tabs to find a good deal.  _ Ha _ , this would have been the perfect job for her mother. Always one to find good deals on plane tickets. “It’s a twenty-nine hour flight. Most reasonable one I could find, though.”

“How much is it?”

“A little over three thousand dollars…? Or however much that is in your currency. Then uh, times that by two.”

Nadine choked on the last bit of her tea, not expecting that much of an amount. “Tha--that’s quite expensive,” she coughed out. “I’m sure there are cheaper ones.”

“China…” Chloe began to remind her, “our cut was almost half a million and you’re worried about spending like one percent of that?”

Nadine sighed, “Whatever, Frazer. Buy the damn tickets then.”

“Just did. Oh and uh--flight’s at two so we might need to get our things.”

“Are you fucking kidding?” The younger gal stood up quickly, followed by a groan. “If it were up to me, this would’ve been planned ahead.”

“Technically it was, I just forgot.”

“Unbelievable.”

“You like it though.” Chloe winked, before following her partner who was sick of her last minute shit. Thankfully, Cape Town International Airport was close to home; about a twenty minute drive, minus traffic so Nadine hurriedly packed a couple outfits, much obliged to her quick thinking skills that could prepare her for any situation--like Chloe’s atrocious improvisations.

The cab driver managed to get them through endless traffic, mostly due to Chloe’s bribe of a couple hundred if they got to the airport on time. Little did they know it would be even more chaotic inside the building. Chloe prepared to rush while a headache started to surface in Nadine, not ready to dash after her partner to the bag checking section. But the process had gone through quite smoothly, just in time for them to board. Chloe, as she would, bought first class tickets without informing her partner, which made sense as to why the tickets were very pricey. Nadine shook her head as the Australian made herself comfortable with her signature neck pillow and a small blanket she had just bought at the gift shop in the airport. Nadine, unfortunately, had to sit across the aisle from her, first class usually having one seat per side, but it was only for a short amount of time they’d be on the airline.

The flight was only two hours, flying from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Then only a two hour layover until their next six hour flight to Accra, the capital of Ghana, for an hour layover. Followed by an overnight flight that Nadine was just “so” excited for. But of course, Chloe had been enjoying it so far, being serviced by beautiful flight attendants that she couldn’t help but flirt with, not paying attention to a raised eyebrow from Nadine. She had yet to see Chloe be her natural self, so she decided to ignore it for the rest of their long eleven hour flight, hoping she could get some peaceful shut eye before another round of flying.

______

 

The ding of the “fasten seatbelt” command startled Nadine awake. They were landing in what she assumed to be America.  _ Finally! _ She cheered in her mind that this was almost over. They landed in Washington D.C, home to all of their president’s except for their very first one. Sadly, Chloe and Nadine weren’t able to spot some of their famous monuments from the sky, but they could always come back at a later time to tour. The layover time for this one was a little over two hours and by the time they’ve settled in the food court, they’ve just about had it with each other. Constant bickering about what to eat, Nadine nagging Chloe about the rest of the flight, what time they were supposed to board, how long it would be, etc. Not to mention, Chloe responding to all those questions with “relax, I got this” which sent Nadine over the edge.

That was the difference between them. With Nadine’s structured personality and Chloe’s extemporary way of living, they were bound to clash in situations like now. Their conversations became petty arguments over something as simple as what to spend on food.

Nadine’s life was a routine, much opposed to Chloe’s. Every morning before dawn (typically five a.m), she’d put on gym shorts and her running sneakers to jog up the hill in her neighborhood, then at six, she would make herself a quick breakfast--preferably a protein shake--then head to Shoreline, come back around six in the evening and make dinner, work out for an hour or two while watching television, and then sleep. And she had done that for ten years, so seeing Chloe free hand her life caused her body to twitch more often than not. In disbelief that someone could live unorganized and without shame. Not that it was a bad thing but it left Nadine utterly shaken by the idea. 

“Got you a salad,” Chloe said as she returned from one of the restaurants with multiple bags of food. “I wasn’t exactly sure what you were craving but I’m assuming it’s something healthy, yeah?”

Nadine smiled at the kind gesture. She hadn’t had an appetite since the layover in Johannesburg but she was still appreciative that Chloe had taken her into consideration. A small thing, perhaps, but it became one of her favorite aspects of their relationship. A thanks was what she responded with as she began to eat her food. There was a peaceful silence between them as they filled their bellies, despite the chatter throughout the entire food court, but for Nadine, Chloe was the only person she could hear and focus on, her heightened senses getting the best of her. But the Aussie hadn’t been much of a talker since they’ve had their own seats in first class so that bothered Nadine a bit. Having to be the starter of conversation was a pet peeve of hers, but Chloe surely did not mind flirting with the female flight attendants. But to have their conversation become small arguments? Nadine did not like that. So she decided to brush it off, figuring Chloe was just in a random mood swing since she was a woman after all.

The layover came to an end and they boarded their last flight, sitting together strangely. The flight was only for three hours, minusing a one hour push back due to the change in time zones. This time, Nadine had taken the window seat, much obliged to Chloe’s strange way of generosity. Maybe it was a scheme to flirt with the flight attendants again.  _ No Nadine… do not get possessive, _ she reminded herself again. Chloe wasn’t hers but deep down she really wanted to be Chloe’s. Nadine wasn’t sure how the woman did these things and she wasn’t sure how to bring it up, and maybe an airplane wasn’t the best place to ask about it either, considering if things went downhill, causing a scene was something Nadine wanted to avoid. So she decided to wait for the right time to ask about their relationship.

______

 

It was around eleven a.m. by the time they reached their hotel which was the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel. Fairly cheap, Chloe considered this time. Nadine carried both their duffel bags to their room because Chloe’s arms had gone sore, possibly from the damage that India had done to her. Their room was on the tenth floor which Nadine couldn’t complain because the damn hotel had twenty nine levels. Two queen sized beds laid parallel to each other with their white sheets perfectly made, a desk in the corner and a flat screen tv that was placed on wooden dresser. The balcony was small but it had a great view of the Mississippi River. 

Chloe threw herself onto one of the beds, basking in the plumpness of the mattress and the softened hotel pillows she loved so much. Nadine sat on the other bed, not sure whether she was allowed to sit by Chloe, so she kept her distance and pulled herself down on the bed. Now she understood why Chloe moaned once she laid down. Even though it had already been a day since she last slept in a bed but wow, was there something special about hotel mattresses.

“Come here,” Chloe called, her voice delicate as a flower; an unusual tone. Nadine’s head shot up quickly to make sure it was her partner who said that before following command. The darker haired lass cuddled up with a pillow, her eyes shut, but when she felt a dip in the bed, she opened her grey-ish eyes to match with a pair of hazels. She smiled. “I’m glad you’re here, but are you sure you’re not sick of me?”

“Mm, just a bit,” Nadine replied, followed by a light push from Chloe. It was good to know that they were still on good terms. “As much as I’d love to lie here, I think we should get ready for this thing. You said it’s in a couple hours, ja?”

“Ugh, you’re right. I don’t even have anything of her chosen attire so I have to go find something.”

And that’s what they did for the next hour: shopping which Nadine hated most. Chloe grew into more simple taste as she grew older but she didn’t mind dressing up for occasions like this. Baby showers were more than casual attire but not too extravagant for her liking. Thankfully, the weather was much chillier than they thought it’d be for a southern state which gave them the option to wear fall weather clothing. Chloe found hers when she came across the perfect burgundy leather jacket and immediately fell in love. She wore that with black jeans and her pair of flat ankle boots. Nadine dressed in a grey-ish sweater, the sleeves slightly pulled up to half length with blue denim jeans, then put the finishing touches on a scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. She then turned to Chloe, to see what her partner was wearing and became in awe of how flawlessly badass she looked in a leather jacket.

But one question came to mind. They went to all that trouble to fly halfway across the world, spent time to plan an outfit, but Chloe never told her who it was for. So as she put her watch back on her wrist, she spoke, “You never told me whose baby shower this was.”

Chloe paused for a second, nervousness beginning to rise.  _ Oh god. _

“Um…” she hesitated, “it’s for my good friend, Elena… Nate’s wife.” She had said those last two words as quick as possible, hoping the woman wouldn’t--

“You’re joking.”

Yep, there it was. But she soon realized that Chloe avoiding eye contact meant that she was, in fact, serious.

“What the hell, Chloe!” 

“Look, in my defense, you wouldn’t have come if I told you beforehand. Come on, China, it’ll be fine. I’ll be there… Sam will be there.”

“As if one’s not enough already.”

“I thought you like Sam now.”

“I  _ tolerate _ him. For the sake of you, Frazer!”

“Jesus--Nadine… it’ll be fun, trust me.”

“Is pissing me off your idea of fun?”

“Well,” she smirked, “if it results in rough sex then yeah it’s fun.” Then she noticed Nadine wasn’t smiling with her. She seemed more agitated than what records had shown when encountered with a Drake brother. So she tried to sound remorseful. “Look, I should’ve said something before so that’s my mistake. But I really wanted to bring you along and Elena’s pretty okay with it. Nate doesn’t know you’re here so you could give him a little scare. That oughta be fun to see, eh?”

Nadine thought for a moment. Although, this really pissed her off but nothing would be better than scaring Nathan Drake shitless. But Chloe seemed to genuinely want her there so she couldn’t say no after she flew all this way with her. 

“Okay, fine, you’re forgiven,” she admitted. “You’re lucky I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god nadine said it


	11. What Comes Next

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter today! I felt that this situation needed one by itself just because. So enjoy the read! <3

_Wha… what the hell???_

What was that?! Those words were not meant to come out so soon, but somehow they… they did? And how dare she let it slip so easily out of her mouth! 

And so as expected, Nadine Ross, a former mercenary with magnificent combat skill and military training who was certain at the trigger, had never been drenched in anxiety… up until this moment, crawling all over her body like ants on a corpse. Oh how she just wanted to dive off the balcony at this moment.

She stood frozen, as if the world had stopped moving. Her heart pounded out of her chest, feeling goosebumps all over her arms and legs, and the room’s silence too much to bear.  She looked across the room, slightly panicked to see the other woman’s reaction. Chloe was still, her hand mid air while holding a mascara wand just a few inches from her eyes, but she did not say a word. In fact, she resumed her makeup process as if nothing happened, with a smile that Nadine could not notice. But she did not expect to hear that from her lovely partner. Surely, it was sort of expected seeming how their relationship had grown but it left her completely baffled… in a good way. It was calming to hear those words again, had it been a very long time since she loved any other person than Nate, but she couldn’t say it back to Nadine… not yet at least. Her feelings for the lass were still at a halt, too afraid to take that giant leap and risk it all for what could possibly be forever or the end. After cheating death many times, this could be the most frightening thing to ever occur in her life, but deep down somewhere behind that barrier she built, this was also the best thing to happen in quite a while. 

Then she began to doubt herself and her ability to verbally express her emotions; an ongoing dilemma, it seemed. Nadine was a kind-hearted woman, a trait that overwhelmed Chloe with guilt to where she could’ve shed tears. She didn’t have to go on that train with her. Nadine could’ve ran off with the tusk and take a vacation with a generous finder’s fee from the Ministry of Culture. Nadine could’ve left her to die.

But she didn’t.

There were probably more things Nadine had done for her that she wasn’t aware of, but in the end, it all came down to remind her that Nadine deserved better. Not the internal chaos she was that furthered her inability to speak on the matter. It was a rarity that Chloe Frazer was ever insecure, but when foreign feelings rise from the dead, she dealt with it more often than she’d prefer. She never forgave herself for putting Nadine through such turmoil. Had she not been so reckless with her actions, maybe she’d have it all figured out by now and then _maybe_ this wouldn’t have been so difficult to decipher. But all she ever did was push those bubbly feelings away, avoiding vulnerability at all costs because she did not want to feel heartache or unreciprocated feelings. She did not want to feel open… but then she became the one who caused that pain in someone she cared so deeply about, and she couldn’t live with that.

Even though they were way past that point and began a closer, more intimate bond, Chloe’s guilt became immense, for every terrible thing she’d done. _You deserve so much better than the mess I am,_ a thought that replayed in her head over and over again. But there was one thing that soothed her defenseless mind: Nadine stayed. The woman was still there, standing in the very roo-

Wait, she wasn’t. Where’d she go?

Panic settled in, her heart beating rapidly at the disappearance of her partner. She called Nadine’s name multiple times as she checked the bathroom and the balcony, realizing there weren’t many places to hide in their room. But Nadine possibly slipped out while she was in deep thought. How did she not hear the door open? Curse her, this was what she got for thinking too hard.

Her first thought was to rummage through her duffel bag to find her phone and immediately call Nadine. No answer. Then she sent a text message, hoping she’d respond to that. Still nothing after five minutes. She decided to head downstairs into a lobby full of vacationers and businessmen and women, but shortly before walking outside, the pocket in her leather jacket buzzed. _Riverside,_ the text read. And that’s where she went.

She walked at a fast pace through the outlet, pushing through the busy crowds with their multiple shopping bags as if Nadine would disappear before she had one more chance to see her. After what seemed to be a hop, skip, and jump just to reach the promenade, there she was, the South African beauty leaned over the rails as she watched a raft of ducks swim by. She seemed to be in thought, not acknowledging the footsteps slowly creeping up behind her.

“Nadine,” Chloe called, catching her breath. Maybe she shouldn’t have ran the whole route here, knowing the lass wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but the ticking time bomb feeling couldn’t escape her mind. But after a few more seconds, she gathered herself together, readied but anxious for this petrifying conversation. They both couldn’t deny what happened.

“Thought you hopped on a flight back home with how fast you left the room,” she said to lighten the mood with slight humor. Oh how she dreaded moments like this. But surprisingly, that got a little titter out of the brown eyed lass, heartening her serious expression from before. 

“Not a stealth kind of girl, but it comes in handy, once in a while.”

Chloe shared a light chuckle then noticed a frown slowly form on the woman and it made her remember why Nadine came out here in the first place. With caution, she thought of a way to approach the topic without actually sending Nadine on a flight back to South Africa. “I know this doesn’t really help, but I do understand why you walked out. You’re brave for staying. Me… heh, I would’ve left town in a jiff.”

Nadine stayed silent for a minute or two, leaving Chloe unclear of what her response would be. She had never seen her partner look so despondent, showing nothing but discontent in her eyes. It pained Chloe’s heart to even witness the expression on her face.

After a moment of silence, Nadine finally found the words to her thoughts, “What’s that thing you’ve said before--cards on the table? Yeah, um… so that. Seems I can’t really keep certain things hidden anymore… how embarrassing of me.”

“Ya got more balls than I do, mate,” Chloe assured, but then nothing came out of either of their mouths. So before it could fall into a dead silence between them, “It’s okay, China. I mean, I’ve almost got myself into the same kind of thing. Feelings weren’t mutual, I walked away but it was for the best. Now I got myself an ass saving partner with muscle.” She winked at the end, referencing to the woman in front of her who was much stronger and became her knight and shining armor to save her from death.

Nadine scoffed, “Is that all I am to you? Fine muscle?”

“No, but I wouldn’t dare deny the chance to see you flex your biceps while at work.”

“Hmph,” Nadine hummed in disappointment. “So I see that… we both grasp intimate relations differently. I know we aren’t on the same page and… I’ve come to terms with that. You flirt with no means to an end, unaware that it could have an effect on someone. I… I didn’t think it’d do much to me. But it did and… now I’m here.”

Chloe took a step back, appalled at the sudden statement. Yes, sex was just a dire need to her in most occurrences, to release tension or just straight up boredom, but what tied them together in that moment, it was different for her, in contrast to anything she’d felt before. The sudden closeness in their newly found amorous relationship, she began to realize how much she loved it when it was someone she became extremely fond of, had it been a long time since a condition like this occurred. Chloe wanted to continue this for however long they could; she absolutely loved this part of her life, and not just the sex. Everything. And she did not know how to explain that to her.

She hesitated to begin, fidgeting with her fingers as anxiety overcame her. “This isn’t as easy for me… not sure how the ride has been for you, but uh… I know I haven’t been fully expressive when it came to you and I.” She paused for a second, waiting for something to just save her from what could be a disastrous statement, but she took a deep breath and thought of the perfect way to pour out her feelings because well… this was the time and she couldn’t avoid it. “Nadine… however you think I feel or what I’m failing to show, I do enjoy this with you. Truth be told, I suck at this feelings shit. I don’t know what to say half the time, I just know what’s in my head. All I can tell you is that most of me wants more, the other… ten percent just needs to put on her knickers and give it a go.” God, she wanted to throw up. But at least it was almost over with and Chloe was glad. She just needed one more thing to say.

But she did notice a crack in her partner’s still serious expression. There was a smile, forming at the corner of her lips and it eased Chloe’s rapid beating heart. Then she turned to look at Chloe, who was still nervous. “Eish, and I thought I’d be eighty by the time you said something. Started to see wrinkles and have poor vision.”

Chloe let out a laugh, unable to contain her cheesy smile, “I know, I know. Maybe I’m not at the same point you are in this little love game, but… eventually… I’ll get there.”

Wow… did that really come out of her mouth? … She wasn’t dreaming that, right?

Nadine, also stunned at that statement, shifted her body so she faced Chloe entirely, entranced in her beautiful grey eyes. “Such an honest dickhead, you are. You must feel good.”

“Bloody fantastic,” Chloe added with a bit of sarcasm. But there was no doubt that she felt refreshed now that all of her bubbly thoughts were out. A huge weight lifted off of her chested, able to breathe in the fresh air and appreciate days like this where the sun shone brightly but the cool weather kept a balance of their skin temperature; a day where she appreciated life in it’s calming form.

She glanced into Nadine’s eyes, in awe of Nadine’s current state: hair blown by the breezy winds, putting damage into her finished hair where every curl was in its place, her face crinkled up to avoid a lock of hair attacking her eyes. Miserable, her partner was, but yet so stunning. Had she been beautiful no matter what life and nature threw at her. Chloe found her body leaning closer to Nadine, her brain unable to stop herself from doing so as the space in between them came to a close. She brought her hands up to cup Nadine’s face, caressing her thumbs across her cheekbones while feeling an extra layer of warmth wrapped around her body. Oh how the goosebumps shot into her skin like burning acid, it being a long time since she felt this sort of way. Nadine’s arms were the safest place on Earth for her, had she believed the barrier that she built for herself had wrapped itself around her and Nadine. There was no greater feeling.

“So are we cool now, China?” Chloe decided to ask, breaking that longing silence between them.

“Maybe… as long as this is not a scam for me to become a personal bodyguard for you,” Nadine joked. “Can’t trust you and your recklessness, Aussie.”

“Oh whatever, I’m being as truthful as my mind can handle. Too much, I might start short circuiting and we wouldn’t want that now would we? I put the “treasure hunter” in treasure hunter.” She finished with a wink, receiving a cold stare from the woman in front of her.

“You’re unbelievable sometimes.”

“Mm yes, but I doubt that’ll change your love for me.” She hummed in that deep seductive tone that Nadine loved so much to where the former mercenary, deemed to be hard as stone, could’ve melted at the foot of her lover, spellbound by the Indian Australian beauty and her natural erotic voice. She closed the only space that were left between them and kissed her love, realizing how much she missed those soft, pillow lips, had it been a while since they’ve shared a kiss.

Not one for PDA, Nadine pulled away from the kiss, preventing it from getting any more passionate because then she’d have to find the nearest bathroom stall to ravage Chloe and end up late to the baby shower. Though her resistance was strong, but her lips gone cold and longing for more warmth as if the hands around her face weren’t giving enough friction, so she couldn’t help but get one more kiss from her lover.

“How do you think the brothers will react to seeing us like this?” Chloe asked.

“Well Sam’s practically been rooting for us since the start.”

“Huh?” Chloe was surprised to hear that. “When--how did he…?”

“Back at the Ministry of Culture. He sort of… speculated it. He tried to be all cupid-like to me after the whole Shoreline thing.”

Chloe laughed aloud to that statement, “Ah, good ole’ Sam. He’s quite a character.”

“Ja,” Nadine confirmed. “Still hate him though.”


	12. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... lots of words to write. First off, this is the last chapter. I know, I'm depressed BUT it's super frickin' long and it's the first story I've ever completed so kuddos to myself. Secondly, happy new year to everyone who actually reads notes on fics, you guys are good people :) I know it's been basically two months since I've updated and honestly... I've dreaded finishing it because it made me sad to, also I despise writing sex scenes (as I've come to discover). And last but not least, if you know Nadine's voice actress, Laura Bailey, and if you play video games, you might know that she can sing. So if you want to listen to the first scene, go to youtube and search for Laura Bailey singing in Saints Row 3. Y'know... to gather an image as you read ;) Have fun, enjoy the last chapter of these two lovebirds <3 comments are ALWAYS welcome!

They were on the way to Nate and Elena’s house with a Jeep Wrangler that they rented out, Chloe’s choice of course. She drove in silence, her mind wandering away with endless thoughts of what could be their next adventure, meanwhile, Nadine spent fifteen minutes adjusting the radio stations to one that wasn’t strange rap and pop music that were today’s favorite genres. Nadine had a mix of soulful blues mixed with jazz but she listened to anything that was of her taste. She continued to turn the knob, trying to find a decent song to listen to until “What I Got” by Sublime came on and her sudden burst of excitement shook Chloe to the core along with the increase in volume. The Aussie woman rolled her eyes hard enough to where it could’ve done damage, but a smile swept across her face shortly afterwards, unable to contain laughter watching Nadine vibe to the music; that was an unusual sight.

The lass began to sing the first verse which struck Chloe in awe of how amazing her voice sounded. It was beautifully mellow with the perfect amount of vibrato as if she were to make a jazz version of the song. But her voice, it was nothing she needed preparation for, it just came naturally and Chloe wanted to hear more. To her disappointment, Nadine didn’t continue singing after the first half of the song, in fact, she hummed the rest of it. So Chloe waited for a moment of silence to interrupt. 

“Bloody hell China!” she shouted in excitement. “I didn’t know you could sing?!”

Nadine attempted to hide her blush, not only failing to do so, but also feeling a little embarrassed. She never sang in front of anyone except her cat when it was in the room, but maybe she was at that point with Chloe where she felt completely comfortable, something she hadn’t experienced before.

“Were you ever going to tell me this?!” Chloe asked, still shouting in surprise.

“Um… I didn’t think it was an obligation to.”

“I just think with a voice like that… you’re gonna have to use it more often. Like when we’re chasing treasure. Oh, and do it shirtless too.”

“Seriously-”

“Oh look we’re here!” Chloe announced quickly, pulling a fast turn into the driveway of a very nice suburban-like home. Unfortunately without a “white picket fence” as she presumed it’d be his thing. She laughed at the thought of it, reminiscing back to Nepal when she met the woman of his dreams then to where they all were now. Nate and Elena were now having a baby which starting a family was something she didn’t expect from him, aside from retiring as a treasure hunter; and herself, maintaining a good relationship with the two lovebirds, more Elena than Nate surprisingly. Skype was practically the glue to their friendship. Without it, her and Elena wouldn’t have gotten closer. But after years of friendship, this was the first time that she had ever been to their new house. Which she found sort of hilarious, but there wasn’t exactly a time and place to arrange a visit within the past few years because she’d been off in Australia or traveling to different parts of Asia. 

She took a deep breath as she got out of the truck, slightly nervous to see the couple since it had been quite a few years since she saw them in person. She heard the passenger door close, only her line of vision to be filled with her favorite woman in the world. Then her nervousness disappeared and came the anticipation of seeing Nate’s reaction to the fact that Nadine Ross was right outside his doorstep. 

“Who else do you think is here?” Nadine asked as they approached the door, each of them with a gift bag in their hands. “An estimate, give or take.”

“Ehh besides us, the parents-

to-be, and Sam… Sullivan is-”

“Victor Sullivan? Oh thank god, someone who isn’t a headache.”

“Just be cool baby,” Chloe reminded while adjusting the scarf around her partner’s neck. “And if you’re good… I got a nice surprise for you back at the hotel.”

Goosebumps spread like wildfire all over the poor girl’s skin from her partner’s playful whispers, especially when Chloe called her baby. Now she dealt with arousal striking her with nowhere to relieve the sensation. She then rang the doorbell with a smile on her face, ready to greet whoever answered the door with enthusiasm. But no one answered. So Chloe reached for the door knob, considering the fact that they probably had the door unlocked this entire time. In which they did. When they entered, Chloe called out her friends’ names, receiving no answer, but the sounds of multiple objects falling and mumbled curses from a woman were heard from the upper level.

“Elena, is that you darling?” Chloe called.

“Yeah-mhm-I’m fine!” Elena responded with a struggle. Chloe and Nadine immediately rushed upstairs to see what all the commotion was about, to find Elena-who was _not_ the size Chloe expected-standing over baby toys spread all over the floor in the nursing room that was once their office.

“You seem to be in a pickle,” the Aussie pointed out while leaned against the doorframe.

Exhausted, Elena replied, “Yeah I was trying to move the diaper station over there so the door wouldn’t slam into it then I ended up knocking some toys off the bookshelf.”

“You shouldn’t move things so close to birth, let me help you,” Nadine offered. The other two women watched Nadine move the diaper changing table closer to the wall, pushing it until Elena said stop. Chloe loved the kind gesture while Elena was shocked at Nadine’s ease of moving the damned thing. 

“You must be Nadine,” Elena spoke when the woman was done, holding out her hand to shake. “You’re very kind for moving that for me. Thank you.”

Nadine returned the handshake but wasn’t prepared for a hug from her. “You’re welcome. Least I could do for you, eh? If it helps lighten your first impression of me. I’m sure the Drake brothers have already given you a head start.”

Elena laughed, mouthing to Chloe that she loved her already; it was true. Elena’s first impression of Nadine wasn’t as intimidating like Nate and Sam had drastically described it. She saw her as a kind-hearted woman, more gorgeous than she imagined too. No wonder Chloe swung both ways, Nadine was a sight. But she was so excited to be friends with this woman.

As they returned downstairs, Elena and Nadine made small talk, getting to know little things about each other before they entered the main room with Chloe amused at their lovely interaction. No one was present in the room, in fact, they were all outside on the deck, chatting about while Sam manned the grill and Nate and Sully blew balloons.

“Why in the goddamn hell am _I_ blowing balloons?” Sully asked, his voice no longer blurred out when Elena opened the door. “Honest to God, Samuel, switch.”

“And put my rock paper scissor skills to waste? No.”

“Sully, come on. Just two more balloons, alright? I’m doing this too,” Nate butted in.

“You still have the lungs of a goddamn track star. Mine are practically rubble.”

All Nate could do was laugh at the groans of his father-like figure, then continued to blow the last of the pink balloons and tie them in threes to a fence post. Their (non white) fenced in backyard was very well decorated, all pink and white themed, tables laid out with white table cloths, the colors balancing out with all the pink paper plates and cups. Even all the men had worn something to match with the theme: Nate had a grey sweater with a pink dress shirt underneath, Sam with a short sleeve button up shirt that seemed to be white but could have been a shade of pink, and Sully with a floral Hawaiian buttoned shirt, like always. Then there was Nadine and Chloe… who dressed according to the weather.

“Hey boys,” Chloe greeted with a low raspy voice that had all of them snap their necks at her. Their reactions were unexpected, especially from Nate who had no idea she was coming. He immediately stood up from his chair, on his way to hug Chloe. 

“Holy shit, Chlo,” he exaggerated. “I didn’t even know you were coming. When di-”

Before he could finish, Chloe slid over to the side to reveal her lovely partner who flashed a smile and waved at the soon to be father. Nate stopped in his movement, his bright smile immediately turned to horror while his heart could beat no more.

“Well would you look at that!” Sully chuckled, then stood up to hug his former enemy from multiple occasions. “Miss Ross, it is a pleasure to meet again.” He grabbed the woman’s hand and planted a gentle kiss. 

“As always with you, Victor,” Nadine replied in utmost flattery, reminding her of when they reunited at the auction, but she was impatient to hear what came out of Nate’s mouth so her attention turned towards the still man.

“Nate?” Elena called for him. “Come back to life, honey.”

The retired treasure hunter shook his head to find himself back in reality, slightly confused on why his mind went blank then suddenly realized who was standing just a few feet away from him. “Nadine! Wow, I uh… I wasn’t expecting…” He then turned to Elena and Chloe, catching an amusing smirk from the Aussie woman. “Did… did you two do this?” He whispered to where only Elena and Chloe could hear him but it didn’t work. Nadine heard him just fine but she found comfort in his disbelief that she was there. Her smile was uncontrollable.

“Actually,” Chloe went on to correct him, “I brought her here myself. Of course I asked the wifey and she agreed. Thought we could surprise you.”

“Don’t worry, Drake,” Nadine added. “I’m not here for payback.”

For a second, Drake couldn’t understand why or how Chloe and Nadine knew each other. How could they have known each other? _Was this a conspiracy?_ He thought. “Wait… so you and Chloe…? How do you know each other?”

“We found the Tusk together,” Chloe answered, followed with a discreet wink to Nadine. “So I suggest you three-yes, you too Sam-be good to each other, kay? For me.”

“Huh… well, Nadine.” Nate went on to approach the intimidating woman then held out his hand to her. “I hope we can put our history behind us… for Chloe. Truce?”

Nadine stared down at his hand for a moment, considering her next move. She knew there was some underlying despise for the Drake brothers but for the sake of Chloe, she would stick to her word and be nice to the Drakes; to smile and _laugh_ with them. She shivered in disgust, but what the hell… all she wanted was that little surprise Chloe had for her so if she had to play nice to get it, she absolutely will.

“If I wanted revenge, I would’ve done it differently than show up at your baby shower, but sure… truce it is, Nathan Drake.”

They shook each other’s hands, both feeling a slight change in their emotions, a sigh of relief it may be, but Chloe had been proud of them for squashing their beef. Now Nadine was for sure to win her reward tonight; let the party begin.

* * *

More guest had arrived for the baby shower, mostly their friends, Elena’s family, and then came Jameson and his wife who were the previous owners of Nate and Elena’s salvaging company, now called D&F Fortunes. The food had been cooked and everyone ate, afterwards all the adults had played games such as football, volleyball, musical chairs, dance competitions, etc. Chloe found it easy to chit chat with all the guests of the party while Nadine found herself wandering around the house drinking beer while appreciating such a simple lifestyle these people had. The suburban feel, the distant sounds of traffic and busyness miles and miles away from their home, the laughter and conversations heard among the guests of the party… was this what retirement was like? Did Nate miss the thrill of seeking treasure while escaping death? Although she was new to the scene, the ten years of her life that were dedicated to Shoreline made her crave this lifestyle in a way, but she wasn’t yet to give up the experience of being a treasure hunter. Hell, if she knew how easy it was to gain money, she would’ve started this profession years ago. But it didn't matter now, her life was set. Shoreline was no more, a relationship with her father may have been gone, but the guilt of it all couldn’t stop her from achieving happiness. Everything seemed to be going alright.

Up until her personal bubble had been invaded by… Sam Drake. _Eish, not again._

Chloe watched their interaction happen from the couch, silently laughing at the miserable expression Nadine attempted to hide when talking to Sam. Before that, she had been chatting with Elena, catching up on all the good things that happened within the past few months. At that point, Elena had already figured that Chloe and Nadine were something, maybe not officially something but there was something for sure. She noticed their glances, each other’s eyes roaming every inch of their bodies but what finally put her puzzle together was when Chloe tried to sneak in a kiss by attempting to whisper in Nadine’s ear when no one else had been looking. So she’d been trying to bring it up, but decided to listen on Chloe’s chatter about the India job, how she couldn’t defeat Asav without Nadine’s help, how her relationship with Nadine started rough then got better, taking down Shoreline with Nadine, and Nadine, Nadine, Nadine.

“So when’s the wedding?” Elena asked, finding the perfect time to interrupt while she dug into a tub of ice cream.

“... and so Nadine had to--wait, what?” 

“The wedding. I’m definitely your maid of honor, right?”

“Sweetheart, I have no idea what you’re talking abo--oh.” The realization hit her.

“Mhm,” Elena sung, mouth full of chocolate and a smirk arising on the corner of her lips. “You gonna tell me what’s been going on between you two?”

The woman’s cheeks flushed red and a wave of internal heat overcame her, the softness of her palms now sweaty. “Lots of it happened in these few weeks, love. I don’t know where to even start.”

“Tell me how it all began.”

“I can’t exactly pinpoint where. Over time I started to notice things… Like how she always held out her hand for me when we climbed. Or when we ran for our lives and I fell back, she pushed me ahead to make sure I had a chance at survival. And she has a love for animals. I mean seriously, every animal we came across, she had a little fun fact about them. It was like I was working with the next famous wildlife expert.”

“She sounds like a _zoo_ keeper. Haha, get it?”

“Y’know with the tusk and how important it was to me, her sincerity towards it… I think right there, that was the cut off of any strictly professional partnership we had. She made me feel like it was okay to open up.” Chloe then looked up to make eye contact with the woman in front of her who smiled uncontrollably that tears could have formed at the corners of it. Her cheeks flushed a darker red just by her friend’s reaction. It was a good thing no one else was present in the room because, “she told me she loved me today.”

Elena paused from eating her ice cream, the chocolate flavor slowly melting into her tongue. “Oh my god, did you say it back?!”

All the woman could do was laugh. Laugh at how ridiculous the whole situation was. Why did this have to feel so hard for her? Why couldn’t she just be simple without complications between her heart and her mind? Nadine loved her no doubt, and the woman had shown that from whenever Nadine developed feelings for her. But Chloe was sure she was on the verge of spilling her heart out, her body soon to be able to say those dreadful three words, but what would happen? How would it feel? God damn it-why can’t she just say it back!

“I think so…” Chloe’s voice softened at the response, her emotions sprouting from its roots, no longer able to hide behind the wall she once built for herself.

“Well I’m so glad you found someone, Chloe,” Elena added, giving a distraction for Chloe to take her mind away from her thoughts. “And here I thought you’d just be the lonesome godmother of my chil-”

Immediately, Chloe’s eyes sprung wide open, like a prey meeting its predator.

“Wait.” She coughed and ended with an _ahem._ “I-I’m sorry. Did I just hear _godmother?_ ”

Despite the horrid look on her friend’s face, Elena kept her positivity by showing a bright smile; her eyes crinkled at the corners and her cheeks lost its strength to hold on by the second. “Uh huh,” was her way of confirmation. 

But before Chloe could oppose to her involuntary secondary position of authority to a child, the sliding door opened and came in Nadine, Sam, Nate, Sully, and some of the couple’s friends and Elena’s family, all ready to watch Elena open her baby gifts. Nadine went in to sit on the recliner chair beside the couch, so she could watch from an angle, meanwhile, Chloe'd been crammed in between Sam and Sully who gave her no space to move her legs.

Elena started with the bigger sized gifts that took up the most room. With all the excitement built up in her, she hurriedly tore the wrapping paper to reveal what were in the three big boxes; one was a baby swing with built in music to play lullabies, the other was a portable crib that Nate and Elena could put in the living room, and last but not least, a stroller. Many of Elena’s other gifts were boxes of baby diapers, pacifiers, nursing pads, etc, since her mother induced her family’s mind that it was a well known tip among new parents to stock up on baby supplies before they arrived.

Now that most of her family’s gifts were unwrapped, Nate gifted his wife with a bundle of storybooks, teddy bears, and couple cute infant outfits that said “Daddy’s girl” or “Daddy’s the best” on them; something a typical Drake would buy for his kid. Sam and Sully went ahead to get a couple of baby blankets, a DVD set list of all the Indiana Jones movies, and Sam had a customized picture frame with one of the coins he got from the Avery’s ship glued to the middle, which the couple thought it was a sweet gesture coming from Sam. Onto Chloe and Nadine, Chloe excitedly slid over her bag with her foot so that Elena and Nate could open their gift. Thankfully, she spotted it at the outlet she shopped at, otherwise she would have been screwed.

“Ohh my god that is so cute!” Elena cried out, holding matching pajamas for her, Nate, and the baby. “I love it, Chloe. Thank you.”

After a quick wink from the charming Aussie, it was then Nadine’s turn to give her her gift. This one had already been thought out since Chloe had mentioned the event to her and although she wasn’t sure whose baby shower it was for, she was ready to give a gift nonetheless because everything Nadine did was with effort and had been truly heartfelt. Now that she knew it was someone near to Chloe, it made it all better. The gifts were a stuffed monkey and an animal book and not just a kids book. It was filled with actual fun facts about the wildlife in South Africa in which Nate or Elena could read to Cassie when she was older because knowledge about animals in different countries could be beneficial in the long run.

“It was my favorite book as a child,” Nadine informed. “Monkeys became my favorite animal, so maybe hers could be too.”

Whether it was the hormones or Elena’s natural personality, tears began to form at the corners of her eyes for reasons that hadn’t occurred to her; she was bewildered by the generosity of her new friend. But with unexpected emotion, Nadine’s instinct was to go and comfort the girl but she thought it’d be odd to do so in a room full of people, to a woman she had only known for a few hours, but soon the mother-to-be gathered herself together.

“It’s a very thoughtful gift,” Elena spoke through sniffles. “I’ll be sure to read it to her every night. Thank you, Nadine.” 

It warmed the Aussie girl’s heart to see the heartfelt interactions between her two favorite women, despite the heart aching conversation before with Elena. She wasn’t aware that Nadine had already packed a gift for the event before they went on the plane but now that she knew, her feelings for the lass had grown more and more. What did she do to come across such a divine woman: genuine in her nature, yet wears a fearsome appearance that terrified the life out of grown men. A hard shell Nadine was, but the soft interior that was her personality, lured Chloe in the most.

* * *

The event ended later in the evening with most of the guests gone except the gang so they could help clean up the house. Later on in the night, Nate, Sam, Chloe, Nadine, and Sully had just finished another round Never Have I Ever while Elena had fallen asleep with the PlayStation controller in her hand. The majority of them had been a slight drunk, except for Nate and Chloe who were only buzzed, although her reasoning was due to the sudden god-motherly position she was just handed. _Mother,_ was not a label she expected out of herself whether it was her own or not, but she’d taken it a lot differently than Elena thought it to be. And she had been aware that Nadine was drinking heavily, which she hadn’t seen before, so she decided to ease herself off the alcohol so she could drive them back to their hotel. But with all the commotion going on between Sully, Sam, and Nadine at an intense game of Uno, Chloe realized Elena was turning in her sleep so she woke the woman up and offered help upstairs to her bedroom. And she did with the help of Nate so they carefully brought her upstairs to put the sleeping beauty to rest then met up in the hallway for a well-deserved, overdue conversation.

“Hey uh, thanks for helping out with the house and Elena,” Nate spoke, after Chloe closed the bedroom door. “She was really happy to see you… Nadine too. Wasn’t sure if was the hormones, but I’ve never seen her cry so easily at an animal book and stuffed monkey. She left the roses I got for her last week to die out!”

“Ah, no worries Nate,” Chloe replied. “I’m happy to be of service. Besides, she’d have my head on a spike if I wasn’t here. Oh and Nate… that’s because she likes Daffodils.” After a giggle from her and a puzzled look from Nate, she looked around (to find a topic and to avoid awkwardness) and noticed they only had two bedrooms that were occupied by them and the newborn baby. “So I’m curious, where do you keep all of your artifacts if not out for decor.”

He then walked a few feet away from Chloe, with a smirk on his face, to pull a rope hanging from the ceiling to unfold a ladder, giving Chloe her answer. “Check it out.” With a nod, Nate then allowed Chloe to climb up the ladder to see what it was like up there. She then stood, observing the clutter of boxes and the artifacts laid on shelves for display. “Would the guest of honor like a tour?”

Flattered, the Aussie responded, “Go on, Mister Curator.”

So he began the tour with a confident introduction and a made up name for his imaginary museum called “Drake’s Fortunes.” The first thing on display was the Spanish doubloon Nate had found on the German U-boat in the middle of the Amazon so he began explaining the dilemma that had come after when they came across Sir Francis’ journal that took a bullet for Sully. Nate then surprised Chloe with an old photo of him, Elena, and Sully after arriving to an island with a boat full of gold after he defeated Navarro and sunk El Dorado with him. Chloe responded in laughter, teasing him about his aging in the almost ten year span since the events of El Dorado. As they move forward, Chloe noticed a familiar statue that Nate had to climb around back in Nepal to find the location of the Cintamani Stone and so they joked as they reminisced the memories, for old times sake.

Chloe began to walk around on her own, noticing a blue toy gun and it’s ammo laid across one side of the attic floor, wondering if the targets hung off the ceiling were part of a game when he missed the thrilling adventures of treasure hunting. She took a peek at the tube full of blue resin from the lamp that was hidden inside of it, shocked that Nathan kept some all these years. She crept along the display cases until she found pictures of the many vacations that Nate and Elena had taken, including a photo album of their wedding and honeymoon, but what caught her attention was a piece a paper that happened to be the letter she wrote to Nate from Sri Lanka, offering a quick job that he never took.

“Huh… good to know I’m part of your trophy room.” Chloe finished with a wink.

Nate chuckled. “You’re a real charmer, Chloe.”

“Takes one to know one.”

“Hard to believe you’re still solo with all that smooth jazz.”

 _Solo, huh? Well Drake I got a surprise for you,_ Chloe thought. She proceeded to lean against a side table, excited to see another reaction from Nate. “Actually no, I’m pretty well off the market as you Americans say or well… I got my eye on someone.”

“Oh really? How come you didn’t invite them over?”

“I did,” she confirmed. “They’re downstairs.”

“Wait-Sam?!”

“Bold of you to assume I’d date another Drake. No, not Sam. Nadine.”

Once again, Nate’s eyes flew open out of shock. He didn’t expect them to ever date, let alone work together. But after tonight, he and Nadine established a respectful friendship (as if they’d ever be more than acquaintances according to Nadine) so he had grown on her. And he was happy for his dear friend, there was no doubt about it. “Well I got to say I’m a bit surprised. I-I mean not because I didn’t think you swung both ways--not that it’s a bad thing at all. I j-just, uh.” Chloe stared at him as he stuttered among his words, with a crooked smile because she knew Nate tried to find the correct way to say what he wanted to say without offending her, not that he was against it but just because well… that was Nathan Drake. “It’s that from knowing you and what I’ve picked up from her… you guys would be clashing a lot.”

_Oh we’ve clashed, my dear Nate. Once or twice… on the couch, in the bedroom… etc, etc._

“Oh, yeah it was a bit rocky at first but we’re good now. We get along for the most part despite all the typical bickering we do.”

Before Nate could reply, they heard more commotion coming from downstairs along with Nadine’s laughter and Sam’s grunts. Assuming that Nadine kicked both Sam and Sully's asses. 

“Maybe we should head back down,” Nate suggested. “Before they wake up Elena because I’m telling you, that would be a very bad idea.”

Chloe nodded her head without hesitation. “Good thinking. I probably should get going anyways. It’s late and Nadine’s practically legless.”

With that, they made their way back down to the dining area where Sam and Nadine were in an arm wrestling match with Sully betting money on whoever won. They two friends stood from afar, surprised that that was happening in the first place. But it was an interesting competition, Nadine had beaten Sam by one point but it was soon to be a close tie with Nadine slowly losing strength in her left arm.

“Ha!” Sam yelled out. “It’s a tie now, Ross!”

“I’m just playing nice, Drake. In reality, I’d break your damn arm and this table!”

“Settle this UFC?” Sam raised his eyebrows multiple times in a row, hoping Nadine would say yes. He definitely wanted a chance to kick her ass for payback.

“If I didn’t wear jeans, maybe I’d agree, but I’ll have to pass. So I forfeit… this time.”

Sam cheered on, despite his default win, then held out his hand for Sully to give him twenty bucks but the older man refused with his exact words “hell no.” Then Chloe grabbed her jacket and the rest of her belongings including Nadine’s and said bye to Sam and Sully before aiming for the door, along with Nate to close it once they’d leave.

“It was nice seeing you again,” Nate said to Chloe. “Don’t be a stranger, alright?”

“I think you speak for the both of us,” Chloe replied. “Always a pleasure to see my old treasure hunting buddy. Maybe one day we could all have a run at something… rob a bank or kill some warlords, escape death on a train…”

“Another lifetime, Chloe.”

As they headed out the doorway, Chloe turned to her old friend while helping Nadine down the porch steps so she wouldn’t topple down. “You say that now Nathan Drake but I guarantee I’ll find something that’ll ignite that spark in you again. Before you hit the wheelchair, anyway.”

He rolled his eyes with a smile, following them both to the car to make sure they made it safely. “You’re very funny, Chloe. That stuff is over... I got the salvage company, now.”

Chloe struggled to carry Nadine into the truck, using all the core strength she had to bear the weight of this muscular woman, but she made it and slipped on Nadine’s seatbelt and gave her her jacket to use as a pillow so the hard surface of the window wouldn’t make her neck ache.

“ _I don’t drink liquor_ , my ass,” Chloe muttered to herself as she closed Nadine’s car door. But once she made it to the driver’s side, she paused there to respond to Nate. “Like I told Elena, if you ever want to join me and Nadine on some adventures, just give me a ring. I’m always up for a quick getaway.” She finished with a wink, referencing to the last sentence of her letter from months ago.

As they conversed a little more, Nate noticed the concern Chloe had for Nadine, turning her head over to check on her partner to make sure she wasn’t slouched over and choking on her seat belt, multiple times. And he saw it in her eyes. The love Chloe had for his ex nemesis. Every time she looked over, it wasn’t just a glance, it was a stare, and not just for precaution. Chloe was admiring the hell out of the woman, the way she looked so peaceful with her eyes closed. He knew that look meant something; that in no way they were just “friends.” 

“Hey,” Nate begun to ask. “... Do you love her?” He expected the appalled expression in Chloe’s face when she turned her head back to him. He raised both eyebrows, waiting for an answer, but there were no words from her. He laughed inside, knowing the answer anyways. “You should tell her, Chloe. Don’t keep her waiting.”

“I…” Chloe was stunned. Blown away, mostly. The fact that he gave her the same advice that she had given him back in Tibet was… ironically impressive. Way to go, Nate.

She found it difficult to respond back. Not a full word escaped her mouth, only vowels.  But then she opened the door, sliding herself into her seat then rolled the windows down to avoid it all together. Nate leaned against it, an arm propping him up on the door frame, so he could say his goodbyes. 

“I’m being serious,” he told. “Before it’s too late.”

All Chloe could do was snicker at his originality. “Thank you, Gandhi.”

“What can I say, I learned from the best.” He grinned immensely, his casual charm giving Chloe a chance to roll her eyes at his obnoxiousness. “Now get out of here.”

“Hey,” Chloe called out to him as she reversed out of the driveway. “Don’t hesitate to call! We know you’ll be missing us when you’re home changing dirty diapers! Ha!” Then she drove off while Nate jokingly threw up a middle finger to the car, knowing for sure that she saw it through the rearview mirror because she threw one back.

They made it to the hotel through a strangely silent car ride, with Nate’s cupidly words of advice lingering about in her mind but she managed not to get too deep like before. She distracted herself by helping Nadine into the lobby, eventually sitting her on one of the chairs to wait while she fetched some water because there were only two paths to get up to their room: through the stairs, which Chloe heavily refused to use, or the elevator that could possibly make Nadine queasy so a minute to rest and a bottle of water should be able to calm the woman down. Minutes later, the Aussie woman returned with two water bottles, forcing Nadine to drink one full bottle or at least half of one until she felt a little better.

“Jesus, how much did you drown?” Chloe asked, observing Nadine’s eyes that roamed everything in her line of sight.

“Four beers… two… two shots of Whiskey,” Nadine listed, her words slightly slurred. Perhaps maybe she wasn’t too wasted as Chloe thought. Her once flushed cheeks dimmed back to her normal skin color and she was able to focus on Chloe for more than a second despite her dizziness. But it was only a matter of time until she was sober again, so maybe another chug of water could help it arrive faster.

Once Nadine seemed decent to handle the elevator motion for just a few minutes, they popped in with no other guests present in the small area. Nadine had leaned in the corner against the rails for support so she wouldn’t stumble over when the elevator jerked up, with Chloe against the wall next to the buttons. The door closed and there was an abrupt silence in the room, only the sounds of the elevator moving up were to be heard, but then a little imaginary light bulb lit up in Nadine’s head, so she went to grab Chloe’s arm and pull her back as she wrapped her arms around Chloe’s waist. Chloe didn’t fight back, instead, she eased into her partner’s hold with a head rested on her shoulder, still appreciative of the kind affection she wasn’t used to.

“Was I good?” Nadine whispered into her lover’s ear, sending cold spikes down the Aussie’s spine and striking a good nerve between her legs. Chloe smiled at the appealing question then shuddered at the cold lips puckering at her neck. 

“Of course you were, honey. You’ll get your surp-” A sharp inhale interrupted the sentence once a pair of teeth bit down hungrily, in addition to a tongue sliding upwards along the neck onto the jaw for a quick nibble. 

“I just want to ravage you right here,” Nadine whispered, her hot breath once again sending bolts throughout her lover’s entire body. The sudden dominance emerging from hidden sex deprived roots have become a liking to Miss Frazer, despite her crave for control. Man, had this been a good distraction from her unnerving thoughts. But as much as Chloe loved the spontaneity of her partner, she couldn’t go forth with it. Not when there was a possibility of public embarrassment. But Nadine was eager to begin, her hands roaming every inch of Chloe’s torso while her mouth stayed glued to the neck and jaw. Chloe was stuck in the strong woman’s hold, but she used her strength to fight Nadine’s hands that were slithering its way inside Chloe’s jeans. 

“Okay, stop. This is practically porn for the security guards!”

With great urge, she returned to an upright position. Luckily, she hadn’t noticed the pout on Chloe’s face when she unlatched her arms and stepped back into the wall, no longer providing warmth and safety for her partner. But Nadine had to be patient for the few minutes they had until reaching the room, which happened to be a constant battle between her urges and natural personality. But then one thing came to her head, sparking a little curiosity from hearing the last bit of Nate and Chloe’s conversation in the car. What were they talking about? And… why the hell did she call him _Gandhi?_!

Then she noticed Chloe staring into the abyss, wondering where her mind wandered, why the room had suddenly gone quiet. Chloe couldn’t even notice Nadine slowly moving her head forward to get a glimpse of the strange serious expression on her face. And not to mention that she declined a little foreplay before the bedroom, which… was she really to blame? Because sober Nadine would be in utter disgust at the thought of fucking where there were cameras. 

The _ding_ of the elevator sung, opening its large doors into an empty, brightly lit hallway. Both women walked at a normal pace to their room door, Chloe in too much thought to continue a scandalous adventure that sprung to life in the elevator. There was no pushing one another against the door, clashing lips or a hurry desire to fuck each other brainless. Instead, Chloe headed straight for the bathroom and Nadine sat at the edge of her presumed bed with a slight headache arising. Chloe returned to the main room minutes later, strangely without a sound of flushing toilets or a sink following her arrival. Nadine just sat there, wondering what the point of going in there was for but it didn’t cause too much of a wonder in her. She really just wanted to know what Chloe was thinking. She watched as the woman dug into her bag, rummaging through for a few seconds before finding a container with objects inside that rattled, and handed it to Nadine.

“Figured you’d need this so you don’t puke on me tonight,” Chloe said, trying not to laugh. Nadine took the bottle of ibuprofen and shook out three pills then swallowed it down with her water bottle. 

Before Chloe could even step another inch away from her, she was pulled with sudden strength onto the lap of her ferocious partner, the fire in her eyes fueling her determination to get what she wanted. Chloe took it as a sign of competition, knowing she informed her lady partner that _she_ was in control long ago. 

“Where’s my surprise? Nadine whispered, her hands caressing every inch of Chloe’s upper body. “I think I’ve been good.”

A chuckle came out of Chloe, “You were definitely a good girl.” She gave a gentle kiss, longing for a slow process unlike her lover who’d been eager from the second they left the Drake house. She wanted to take in every pressure of Nadine’s soft lips against hers, wishing she hadn’t neglected those beautiful, plump sons of bitches for six hours, but also grateful they had the opportunity for a moment like this.

Their kisses became longer as they added more pressure to their already kiss-swollen lips, both wanting to dominate each other with the only foreplay that’d been going on. Nadine’s determined hands slid up under Chloe’s undershirt but then she noticed an unfamiliar seam pattern of her bra that wasn’t the smooth polyester fabric she was used to. She traced the seam to find its shape or whatever type of pattern the bra was supposed to be. At first it seemed to be of diamonds, or circular shapes mirroring one another like a mandala, but it didn’t fit. It was a circular pattern of little oval-like loops, following smaller ones above it with pointed ends and then it hit her.

Flowers.

She hurriedly took off Chloe’s shirt to reveal a top laced black bra that had an opening cut in the middle of her chest so she was able to kiss in between her breasts (or… rip off) if she really desired. And then a thought came to her mind, if Chloe wore a top piece of lingerie then there was no doubt she wore the bottom one. 

Nadine swiftly latched her hands underneath Chloe’s thighs to pick her up and throw her onto the bed. _My god, that woman’s strong,_ Chloe thought. Hands slid up her thighs to the three buttons at her lower abdomen and unfastened them hurriedly so she could see the desirable two piece garment that her lover tantalized her with. 

“Wow…” Nadine panted, hot of breath at the sight of this wonder. “Have you worn this the entire time?”

“Uh huh,” Chloe confirmed. It was all she could say before Nadine toppled her with great force, their bodies practically sewn together as she dove in for an hungered kiss, drenching her body in lust and desire to fuck this woman senselessly. Chloe squirmed below her, attempting to find a way to switch their positions but it was impossible. Nadine was way too strong for her. Although the dominant trait that her partner suddenly graced her with was far from what she was used to, her control in the bedroom was a craving or else she could practically die! Not really, but the feeling could be similar. There hadn’t been one sex partner that Chloe couldn’t control and Nadine was not to be the first.

She used a tickling technique to weaken the force among the body on top of her and quickly used the opportunity to pin her partner down. With a cunning smile and the weight of her thighs keeping Nadine from moving, she arched her back and lowered her front to reveal her enormous ass that had been neglected for quite some time. So then Chloe brought down Nadine’s hands for her to cup her cheeks and massage them in a slow clockwise motion, causing her to moan from the wetness forming between her legs. But the sounds and movements brought an idea to Nadine’s head, so she lifted herself up without grabbing Chloe for support, and for a few minutes, she stood while holding Chloe as they kissed passionately.

“Don’t forget the rules, my love,” Chloe reminded, breaking off the kiss to inform her who ran the situation. 

Nadine smirked and it aroused suspicion from Chloe who didn’t see what was coming next. “Some rules are meant to break.”

She tossed Chloe back onto the bed but instead of repeating the motion of toppling her, she went into the bathroom and returned, seconds later, with a bottle of lotion. An _ooh_ hummed within the deep sultry voice that was Chloe Frazer, who was immediately overcome with interest in whatever Nadine planned to use with that bottle. Nadine aimed for the bed, unwrapping the scarf around her neck as she distracted her partner with kisses so she could tie her hands to the bedpost. A grunt was what Chloe responded with, in defeat as she tried to pull her hands away from the post, only tightening it furthermore. 

“Do you always tie women up in bed?” Chloe teased. 

“Depending on how cocky they can be.” Nadine finished with a wink before aggressively turning Chloe so she laid on her stomach. She climbed onto Chloe’s back, planting kisses along a trail on her spine, leading up to the back of her neck before unlatching the hook on Chloe’s bra. All Chloe wanted to do was protest against her current position, despising how easily Nadine pulled her in a trance just to give her no control; the one thing she hated most. Oh how Nadine would pay for this!

“--Fuck that’s cold!” Chloe cried out as Nadine squeezed droplets of lotion, that felt like icicles, along her spine, only to shut Chloe up. The stung feeling went away but the shivers no less did once Nadine began to spread the droplets all over her backside. Therefore, Chloe’s cries were no longer to be heard, just a moan here and there. Her back smelled of a beautiful mixture of night Jasmine and white rose; a delicate smell, nothing strong, yet filling their nostrils with immeasurable pleasure. The scent had tempted Nadine to forget the lotion and get on with the foreplay but their positions were just too good. She enjoyed seeing Chloe squirm under her whether it was from the cold substance seeping into her skin or an attempt to unchain herself from her hold. She sort of wanted to… well, take a picture.

For proof, whenever Chloe wanted to talk her talk about being a top, of course.

“Sit still or I’ll take longer,” Nadine demanded so Chloe could stop acting like a fish out of the water. The tone in her voice had been a darker, but whispered sound that had been like a vampire sucking the life out of one of its victims and Chloe loved it. The unexpected change in a not so sober Nadine was probably the best thing that’s come out of it. Maybe she could get used to being the submissive one…

Her naughty thoughts were interrupted by Nadine’s downwards shift in position so that she sat on the back of Chloe’s legs, readied to take off this part of her panties. She pushed her body up to lick along Chloe’s shoulder blades, down to the side of her breasts, then along her waist with slow, torturing pecks and a graze of tongue along the lower back. She stopped right at the threaded waistband of her lover’s panties to gently pull it down with her begging teeth. Her breath paused as she pulled it down, watching it cling to wet lips that kept hidden, longing to be touched by someone or something soon enough. And Chloe’s twitch to her wet slit exposed to the cold air in the room made it more desirable, but she couldn’t bear her resistance. As much as Nadine wanted to bury her head in between two beautiful tanned legs, she must wait. The game wasn’t over just yet.

Immediately, she grabbed the lotion bottle and proceeded to drop little dots of the smelly good stuff onto her ass to spread along the entirety of it, and onto the inner thighs. Chloe’s whimpers grew louder and steady with the motion that Nadine worked with; almost as if she was kneading, using her fingers to add pressure into the soft skin as her thumbs worked in speedy circles closer to the center of her opening. Even Nadine couldn’t take the wait, the patience too agonizing for her liking. She presumed her panties to be soaked from all the teasing she’s done to Chloe and she hadn’t undressed yet. Chloe, on the other hand, found something wickedly thrilling within, knowing she was the only one naked, on her stomach, being dominated by a fully clothed woman whose desire was to torture incredibly. 

Nadine had been too distracted to care about their attire due to the jiggle Chloe’s _yummy_ bottom made when she gave it a quick smack, and without a thought, she grabbed the Aussie woman by the hip and lifted her ass up into the air so she was on her knees. The perfect position for Nadine to ravage her.

“Christ, China…” Chloe moaned. “Didn’t take you for such risque behavior in the bed.”

“Frazer.”

“Seriously, have you always been like this?”

“Frazer.”

“I thought you’d be more of a reserved kind of--AH!”

A quick bite on the ass would shut her up, ja? Definitely did by the sudden silence, only to hear whimpers resurfacing. “You talk too much.” Nadine chuckled devilishly, followed by a quick slap to her lover’s ass before using a thumb to caress along the inner thighs, only to be pulled away once she got closer to the aching slit, seeing the throbbing sensation of the beautiful mound sent her own quivering. She placed wet kisses at the back of Chloe’s thigh, moving into the inner and slowly to the groin, only to mirror the route on the other side while her thumb found residence in between the outer and inner lips of her pussy, purposely avoiding the clit. 

“Fuuuuuuuck, I need you,” Chloe groaned from the other side of the bed. Nadine then paused mid torture, wanting to hear magical words. “Wha… why’d you stop?”

“Beg.”

“Are you ki-”

“Beg,” Nadine commanded with the tone that made it clear she did not want to say it again. “Orrr I could leave you to squirm in agony…”

“Fuck, okay! God dammit, China, please!”

Her first thought was to wait a few minutes just so she could hear the painful cries of her partner who couldn’t go one more second without bursting into flames, but one look at her soaked pussy was all it took to give in. She moved her thumb to rub her clit, too slow that Chloe bucked her hips to feel a faster movement for more stimulation. A loud, pleasurable moan escaped her mouth now that she was able to feel pressure on her bundle of nerves as she anticipated Nadine’s mouth to devour her.

Not yet, Nadine thought. That was the last thing she wanted Chloe to beg her for. So she used her fingers, her middle and index fingers soaking into the wet source of the woman’s slit, feeling the tightness of her inner walls. She slowly pushed in her two fingers then pulled out agonizingly slow, waiting for Chloe’s walls to get comfortable.

“Fuck,” Chloe breathed out. “Fuck me harder…”

  She followed what her Queen demanded, plowing her fingers right up into that glorious sensation that formed such tightness, she could barely squeeze into. Chloe’s moans grew faster and raspier the deeper Nadine’s long gun holding fingers drilled inside her as she held onto the scarf for dear life. It didn’t take long for the pleasure to build up. She was ready to burst; her legs trembled, she arched her body, giving Nadine access to go in as deep as she could (even when three knuckles deep). There was a little ache in her stomach from the length her lover’s fingers were, railing her so deep inside that her moans turned into little shrieks. Magnificent how she could even make a sound like that!

Just as she was about to come undone, fingers pulled out of her as if they’d been caught by a parent, but it hadn’t been a second later when fingers had been replaced by a hot tongue, sliding the wet surface up her slit and into her hole for a little taste. Hands went to cup her ass, squeezing the life out of it as Nadine sucked intensely at her swollen clit, enjoying the sticky substance that covered down to her chin and onto a puddle underneath them. 

“Ah… fuck!” Chloe shouted, the only words she managed to say with a long, hungered tongue deep inside of her. She was on the edge, no longer able to take any more of her partner’s intense thrusts. She could feel her legs go numb and her mind go blank.

“Tell me what you want,” Nadine commanded.. But she stopped all activity with her mouth, only returning to caress swollen pussy lips with her thumb. 

“I…” Chloe managed to say, despite her hard pants. “I want to… come…”

“Good girl.”

Nadine then shifted her position, laying on her back, facing Chloe’s ass so it looked like Chloe was sitting on her face. She took both hands to bring Chloe downwards onto her mouth, using a forward and back motion very slowly to hear the whimpers of her lover before thrusting three fingers back into her. Her pace gone rapid within the second, forgetting all about the slow, passionate route that Nadine had always done in the bedroom. Her behavior, this time, was aggressive, more animalistic than Chloe had imagined and there was no doubt that she enjoyed this side of Nadine. Maybe she needed to drink more often…

The steamed mouth that sucked on her enlarged clit was often distracting. Meanwhile, she felt as if her pussy were to rip apart from the unbelievable strength of fingers pounding into her like a jacksaw. The sight of undivided attention that worked down between her legs made her ready to come without a thought on whether to hold on longer, because she couldn’t. She used all the strength she had in her to prop herself onto her elbows to lift herself into sitting position on Nadine’s face, despite still being tied to the bed. Nadine recognized the gesture once she felt a little more weight onto her face, thankfully still able to breathe. She took her hands out of Chloe to grab onto her asscheeks, spreading them open so she could have more access to lick. An increasing moan escaped Chloe’s mouth when she felt nails digging into her sensitive skin, forcing her to put all her weight onto the woman below her as a tongue dove into the slick abyss once again. 

Chloe managed to grab hold of the headboard as she grinded her way to ecstasy with Nadine’s sore tongue still inside her. “Fuck fuck fuck!” was all she screamed at the top of her lungs, no longer caring about whether their neighbors or outside folks could hear. This moment was all she needed, a passionate moment that usually never meant anything to her previously, but this time… it did. Nadine had been rough when she’d been fucking her, not that she was opposed to it, and when it came to loving her, the foreplay, the arousal being built up into a longing need, she was as gentle as a flower, kissing and appreciating every inch of Chloe’s body, not just being focused on one particular thing. Then again, no one had ever used the massage technique on her so it was a first, but she was sure to try it again. 

She fell over once she finished, her hands were twisted in the scarf but at that point she no longer cared. Nadine, who was disappointingly still clothed, climbed over her to untie her hands then reached down to kiss her, tongue invited and all. If she had the strength, she’d be taking off Nadine’s clothes, but all her power was gone; she was stupefied.

“Let’s take a bath,” Nadine suggested, leaping off the bed to take off her sweater.

Dazed and confused, Chloe painfully declined. “I can… I can’t feel my legs, China.”

“That’s no big.” With that, Nadine lifted Chloe up and over her shoulder into the bathroom so they could bathe together. Chloe sat on the edge of the tub, exhausted from the last two hours. She didn’t think she could walk for the next couple days. 

The bathtub filled quickly and Chloe added some bubbles just for the heck of her silly personality. Nadine stepped in first then helped her lady into the tub. She poured water over Chloe’s hair, wetting down the sweat and frizz that stemmed from their wild adventure, then added shampoo, washed it down, then conditioner and let it sit in her hair for a little.

Chloe turned her head to her partner behind her and stared into her beautiful hazel eyes, missing the bubbly feelings that stirred an ache in her stomach when she did. It felt like it’d been a while since they’ve made eye contact so Chloe took the time to appreciate it by kissing her on the lips before turning back around to lay on her chest.

Silence returned to them and all they heard were droplets of water from the faucet, dripping into their steamy bath. Nadine held her arms around Chloe, her head back against the wall for support as they laid in a peaceful quiet. More so, because Nadine’s mouth had been swollen from constant sucking and her tongue had gone sore, so a conversation wasn’t really needed from her.

* * *

Nadine woke up from her deep slumber only to feel an empty space beside her. Her eyes jolted open with slight panic in her mind of the possibility that Chloe might’ve ditched her. But no, the adventurous woman was just in the bathroom… brushing her teeth. But she noticed a tray that was not in the room before, but Chloe returned just in time to answer the question.

“Morning, sunshine,” Chloe greeted. “I got breakfast, surprise!”

Chloe aimed for the balcony, showing the table she put together with two plates of breakfast, two cups of orange juice, and a bowl of fruit. Nadine was in awe of the wonderful gesture, but still wondered how the hell Chloe managed all that during her sleep. She joined Chloe on the balcony and when she sat down, the other woman lifted her plate cover to reveal two eggs cooked sunny side up, wheat toast with a light butter spread, and some sliced avocado beside it. 

“How did you know I liked my eggs sunny side up?” Nadine asked.

“Eh, just took a wild guess,” Chloe replied.

“You didn’t have to do all this, but thank you, Frazer.”

“Well if you hadn’t fucked me over the moon last night, I would’ve returned the favor so this is how I’m repaying you.”

Nadine giggled as she ate her delicious breakfast while Chloe manhandled her western omelette, because well, her tummy was quite empty despite being _filled._ They spent the next half hour eating and conversing about New Orleans and how they should explore the states when they visit next time because none of them hadn’t been anywhere but there. They heard all about popular tourist places like New York City, Miami, the whole state of California, Las Vegas, etc. They were destined to come back and explore.

Then a phone rang inside the room that was assumed to be Chloe’s by her stylish ringtone. She ran over to pick up the phone while Nadine tried to listen in on the conversation. Chloe seemed shocked to whoever was on the other line, gasping and making _ooh_ like sounds, sounding intrigued as to a probable proposition.

“Wow… okay, yeah,” Chloe said in response to the person on the phone. “I’m definitely on board with that… Well things have certainly changed last time I seen you. Ha! Okay, I’ll give you a call then. Kay, bye.”

Nadine entered the room, only to ask what the conversation was about because she was too, intrigued at her responses. “What was that?”

Chloe gently placed her phone down on the bed with a flabbergasted look on her face, as if she was in disbelief. “That was an old buddy of mine… Charlie Cutter. He uh… invited me to his wedding. The bloody bastard is actually getting married. And he's got a job for me. No doubt, you’re coming along. Think of it as a date.”

“Eish, do all your dates start off with invites? First Elena’s baby shower, now a wedding? Or should I see these as signs you wanna spend the rest of your life with me?” She smirked.

Chloe rolled her eyes, but smiled as well. “Shut up. I’m already spending the rest of my life with you. We’re gonna be solving riddles and dodging bullets on walkers before I’m done with you, love.”

Nadine was shocked the reply. Was… Chloe feeling okay? “Huh… interesting way to say you love me.”

Then Chloe stopped what she was doing, her heart suddenly beating faster but not so much a rapid pace anymore. Then she turned her head to look at her partner across the room, making direct contact with her favorite set of eyes. Her heart was warm, full of content and security and there was no better place she'd rather be at right now than in the same presence as her love.

“Yeah… I do…” Chloe admitted, at a low volume to where Nadine almost did not hear. “I do love you Nadine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious to know what Chloe does in the bathroom at the bedroom scene, she just talks to herself because she's nervous about all the pressure on how to respond to Nadine's love confession so imagine that LOL. And so anyways, thank you for keeping up with the story. I've enjoyed writing it as much as you guys have read it. There is a possibility of a sequel but I don't know when I'd find the will to write that, but I do have other ideas I want to write for Chlodine so I'll most likely get that started. Again, you guys are awesome!! (still amazed at how many reads I have, tysm!!!) It's been fun <3


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